Icy Heart
by Crystaltearbubbles
Summary: What she sees breaks her, and she leaves him, pregnant with his child. Yet when she finds comfort, why does her heart suddenly blossom with this kind of love after she vowed she never would never fall again? Hitsugaya/Rukia/Ichigo. Please R&R! COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

This is something different. I'm writing it in first person POV, for now!

Summary: What she sees breaks her, and she leaves him, pregnant with his child. Yet, when she finds comfort, why does her heart suddenly blossom with this kind of love after she vowed she never would never fall again? Hitsugaya/Rukia/Ichigo. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own ANY part of Bleach except this story!

Review OR ELSE!! RAWR!

* * *

Tears well in her eyes and creep down her cheeks like a monster of sadness. She rubs her stomach, her two month pregnant stomach, and cries. It rips at her, killing her. She will run. She doesn't care what anyone has told her. She will run from this problem, and will escape it. But first, she writes him a farewell note.

_Goodbye my love. You used to be the only blossom in my heart, but now the truth tears me apart. I leave you with her. I suppose you'll be happy without me. You were with her. _

_Goodbye, my love._

_Goodbye, Ichigo._

She had to rewrite the note twice in order to make the message clear, and in order to make it so no tears wetted the piece of paper. She folded it up and stuck it upon the desk, the smooth, hard desk that she had bought for him. The room sings of his presence, making only more tears cover her face. She has to escape. Even his thick smell is suffocating her.

She ran outside, desperate to escape. It was only four, he wouldn't be back until five. Probably out with her. She already hastily packed all of her things, and all she needed now was a quick phone call. She couldn't help but let the tears slip out as she remembered what she had seen. As she remembered why this monster was tearing her apart.

_"I'll see you after work." He told her happily, his huge goofy smile decorating his smooth face as he bent forward and kissed her on the mouth. His bright orange hair was spiked as always, and she smiled at him._

_Rukia kissed him back, then laughed as he ruffled her hair, then rubbed her only slightly protruding stomach. "Keep beautiful, Rukia!" He told her happily, and exited the doorway, getting in his car, and driving away._

_She smiled after him. _

_For the whole morning, she had nothing to do. All she did was laze around, and finally, she decided she needed to get out of the house. Dressing in one of her classic sundresses, she exited the house, locking it after her. They could only afford one car, and he always took it when he went to work._

_She decided to go to a new diner that had just opened. It was close to her house, and she strolled evenly and quickly, her footsteps quick. She loved little diners, and today wouldn't be any different._

_However, what she saw nearly killed her. She froze as she looked into one of the diner windows, and gasped. She saw Ichigo… Ichigo…_

_He was kissing another women! He was bent over the diner table, and kissing a long haired women. He then leaned back, and smiled at her. She could barely hear what he was saying._

_"You're so beautiful, Kumori." He said to her happily. "I bet that child inside of you will be just as beautiful!"_

_That did it. Rukia burst into tears and ran home, trying to be conscious of the baby inside her. She slipped into her house, not doubting what she must do. With vigor, she grabbed her clothes and shoved them into a light baby blue bag, trying to ignore the monster in her belly. She would leave him. She would never talk to him again. _

She dialed the numbers, and waited for somebody to pick up. After three rings, a deep voice answered the phone.

"Rukia?" Came a voice. The voice she was looking for. It took her a moment before she could think of the words to say, and gulped twice. She was shaking so badly she could hardly hold the phone.

The voice got a little irritated. "Rukia, are you there?"

"Y-yes, brother." She replied shakily. Instantly, Byakuya sensed something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Rukia?" He asked instantly. "Are you okay? What happened?" His questions were deep and concerned. He was always worried about her and Ichigo's relationship, and whenever she was sad, he always seemed to want to kill that orange haired man.

Rukia sighed. After she had married Ichigo, Soul Society had allowed her to live on Earth, and if she wanted to, she could return to her post as a sub officer. "Brother." She said softly. "Can… can you come get me? Something has happened…"

"Of course, Rukia. I'll be there in seconds, but I expect an explanation." He replied.

Rukia nodded, although he couldn't see her. "Yes, brother. But I might not come back here for a long time."

* * *

How do you like it so far? Yes, I know it's short! It's late! Don't yell at me!

Please review! OR ELSE!!

Haha, just kidding, but please review! Next chapter should be up soon! Depends, I'm kind of juggling three stories right now. I'm on a role!


	2. Panic

Haha, I know I have two stories besides this one, but this is my favorite so far! I really just love writing it.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, you are the ones who really inspire me and make me keep writing. Everyone else, please write a review! I so want to hear your opinions, and I don't like hunting people down to make them.

Summary of this chapter: written in both Byakuya's and Ichigo's POVs. How does Byakuya react to Ichigo hurting his sister? How does Ichigo react when he discovers her gone? And Hitsugaya makes his appearance! Yay!

Oh, and there is a little bit of swearing in this, courtesy of Byakuya, mostly.

Flashing backs are in _italics._

Oh, and by the way, this story takes place only five years after Aizen's reign. I don't know what age exactly everyone is, but they're five years older! And there is only one squad that has no captain, and that's the ninth division.

Enjoy!

* * *

Panic.

He swept through his apartment, panicking. Where was she? What had happened? Why was she gone?

Ichigo asked himself all of these questions, even though he had found her note. Even though he knew what she had seen. Even though it was all perfectly clear to him, he refused to believe it. How did she know?

He sprinted to his bedroom, and froze. The drawers were emptied and the bed was made, but upon his large bed, sat a large form, a figure with long, spiked black hair.

It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

* * *

Byakuya felt like tearing out the boy's throat. How could he have done this to his Rukia? He had hurt her so much!

_"Rukia…" Byakuya had begun. His sister had packed all of her clothes in her large leather bag, and sat upon it. Although she had grown much larger, only a foot shorter then Byakuya, she was still tiny enough to pull her knees up to her chest as she balanced upon the suitcase._

_She looked up at him, her eyes tearful, and her cheeks stained red. They had puffed out, as they always did when she cried._

_She scrambled up, and wiped the tears away, only making her cheeks redder. She picked up her suitcase. Any ordinary human would simply be amazed that such a small girl could carry a bag like that, but Byakuya was no ordinary human. He already knew his sister was strong, but he was suddenly surprised. He had only just noticed that Rukia's power had grown. She had the same spiritual pressure as Renji…_

_Byakuya shook his head to clear his thoughts. There wasn't any time for that now. "Rukia." He said, deeply, resoundingly. She looked up at him, and smiled gently._

_"Thank you, brother." She replied, her voice small and partially broken. "Ichigo…"_

_Byakuya snarled at the mention of that name. "What did that bastard do to you, Rukia?"_

_Rukia shook her head, tears still welling in her eyes. "Please don't hurt him too bad, brother." She pleaded him. "I'd rather just keep him out of my life."_

_"I won't kill him." Byakuya replied, knowing how Rukia felt. "But I'm going to talk to him."_

And now he sat upon Ichigo's bed, watching the shock and realization cross the orange haired man's face.

"You." Ichigo's voice became hard and snarling. "Bastard! Get out of my house!"

Byakuya stood. "Gladly." He replied. He strode forward, until he was face to face with Ichigo. Luckily, the boy hadn't grown, and Byakuya was still an inch taller then him. Ichigo didn't usually back down from Byakuya's wrath, but now the older Kuckiki was towering over him, with a death glare in his eyes, and pure fury radiating from him.

"I only have one thing to tell you." Byakuya's voice had dropped dangerously low, lower then his usual tone. "Stay away from my sister, Kurosaki, or there will be hell to pay."

And with that, Byakuya flash stepped out of the room. He instantly appeared by a whimpering Rukia.

Once again, he noticed her spiritual power was fluctuating powerfully. She looked up at him, and scrambled to her feet.

"Are you ready?" He asked. He knew Rukia well enough, he felt as if he could read her mind. "I didn't hurt Ichigo. Now let's go."

She nodded, wiping away some more of her tears. She just couldn't seem to stop them.

Byakuya had no way to help his sister. All he could do was take her bags gently from her feeble hands, and gently grab her shoulder. He led her through the gate, back to Soul Society, all the while forming a plan in his mind. He knew who he had to see when he returned.

* * *

"Are you sure, Captain Kuckiki?" Said Yamamoto's strong voice, gruff yet somehow so resounding.

Byakuya nodded. "Yes, Captain Commander Yamamoto." He answered positively. "Do you have any idea how soon?"

Yamamoto seemed to hesitate. "No telling. I'll have to ask around. Do you think she will be able to work that hard with a child?"

Byakuya shook his head. "I don't know, Captain Commander. All we can do is see."

* * *

Blood splattered the ground as the hollow groaned. It had no time to writhe in its pain, though, before it disappeared, along with the six others that littered the ground.

Toshiro Hitsugaya, the white haired turquoise eyes child prodigy, captain of the tenth squad, alighted upon the ground smoothly, finishing off two of them. He had finished off gallantly, with a clean slice of his sword. He blinked, turning quietly, observing all that had happened. Three soldiers had been severely wounded, before Rangiku Matsumoto had arrived. Four of the hollows had been Menos, and when Hitsugaya had sensed their strength, he had arrived. Swearing to himself, he wished he would have sooner. Those three soldiers had been deeply cut.

Rangiku approached him, with a huge smile on her bright red lips, and her sky gray eyes were lightened with a bright fire.

"Captain!" She cried, skimming forward and grasped her captain in a tight hug, nearly choking him with her breasts.

Hitsugaya pushed himself away. Normally he would snap something at her, but she had quite a reason to be happy. Instead, he gently pulled himself out of her grip, and gave her one of his small but warming smile, very relieving when compared to his usual icy nature, yet his push was still forceful, showing his easily irritable side.

Rangiku was beaming, her cheeks beginning to turn red as her smile seemed to just somehow widen. She wasn't concerned at all by her captains quiet irritation. "Did you see me?" She demanded. "I reached Bankai! I can't believe it! I released my Bankai!" She was nearly jumping for joy.

Hitsugaya's smile grew a little larger, but saddened at the same time. He didn't like this incredibly ecstatic Matsumoto, but who was he to ruin her mood on a day like this? "Do you know what this means, Rangiku?"

She suddenly stopped, looking confused, then her eyes widened, and her smile brightened. "Really, Captain?" She exclaimed, once again grasping him in one of her wide hugs. This time, Hitsugaya was a bit more forceful as he pushed out of her rather surprisingly hard grip. And by forceful, he nearly had to punch her in the face to let go of him.

"Stop it, Rangiku." Hitsugaya commanded, his voice icy, but still had a smile in it and in his eyes, although his mouth was a placid line. "Yes, it does mean that. Only one open division left. How does that feel, Captain Matsumoto?"

Rangiku's eyes watered up with joy. For a third time, she gathered Hitsugaya in a choking hug, but for a moment, he allowed her to choke him, to pour out all of her emotions, both happy and sad, before he began to fight. There was only so long before his patience would snap and he had to escape from those things...

"Thank you, Captain!" She nearly screamed. She then pulled back, and looked at the unconscious squad members. "Well, I suppose we should get them healed, shouldn't we?"

Hitsugaya's smile was like an upturned grimace. He nodded. While some would go against his judgment, Hitsugaya knew that his former lieutenant was a strong women, and would be a grand captain.

Halfway across the Seretei, Yamamoto let out something that could be close to a smile if someone knew him enough and looked closely.

"Perfect timing."

* * *

Byakuya had also sensed the sudden increase in power, and recognized Rangiku Mastumoto's strength simply increasing. He also sensed Captain Hitsugaya, and blinked. So soon? It seemed as if the universe was conspiring to make this happen. Byakuya sighed before he sipped the small cup of tea. He hoped he wasn't getting his sister into trouble. He had pulled strings to make sure she didn't get the ranking of an officer, and now he was practically sending her off to her death.

He sighed again. Still, that was about the only thing that might take her mind off of Ichigo Kurosaki, that is, until the baby arrives. However, until then, he would help the pain the only way he knew how, by distracting it until it's nearly forgotten.

* * *

A little bit of a confusing chapter, but I didn't want anyone to guess what's going on! Did I do okay? Or did you all just know right from the beginning?

I might be changing the characters just a wee bit, just to fit into this story nicely. If you don't like it, don't flame me. I'm enjoying writing this story, and there's no need to rain on my parade! Gosh!!

I know this chapter isn't the greatest, but you know, it was kind of hard. It's really just a builder into the next (more exciting) chapter. It's just one of those stupid chapters you need to understand anything that happens in the next chapter.

Please review!


	3. She Cried

Yay! Another chapter!

Thanks deeply to all of those who have reviewed, and to those who haven't, WHAT THE HELL?? I SPEND ALL OF THIS TIME WRITING A STORY SO YOU CAN ENJOY IT, AND YOU FEEL STRONG ENOUGH TO PRESS THE SUBMIT A REVIEW BUTTON AND PRESS THE ADD TO FAVORITES BUTTON, BUT YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO LEAVE A FIVE SECOND REVIEW? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy, you worthless pieces of annoying crap that can't review. Gr, I'm mad at you people. Those who do review, yay for you! Good juju!

* * *

The few splotches of sunlight that snuck innocently throughout the windows shone on Rukia's face, making her large, violet eyes blink open with the glare. Her large mouth broke open into a huge yawn, resounding through her body.

She was back in her old room at the Kuchiki Manner. It had the same kind of aura about it, a plain, strange type of aura, almost making the room more important then some individuals.

She relaxed against her pillow, letting her head fall against it as tears, once again, began to pool in her eyes.

"Rukia!" Came a deep voice from below. Rukia flinched at the deep, resounding voice she oh so easily recognized. "Time to get out of bed."

She sighed and raised herself up, willing the tears to disappear. It was all over now, and soon she would get over him. With the help of her brother, she would be fine.

She often slept in a rather silky robe, and as she stood, it nearly fell to her feet, revealing smooth, sloping shoulders, and olive tanned skin. With a sigh, she nearly floated to her closet, pulling out her normal kimono, and dressing herself. Roughly, she pulled a brush through her hair, and headed down the stairs to breakfast.

Byakuya ate calmly. Nothing strange. They always ate in silence. Both before and after Rukia had left to live with Ichigo. The house was huge, now, after the small apartment she had lived in with her ex husband.

After she had finished, she prepared to go back upstairs, before Byakuya cleared his throat loudly.

Rukia waited until he finished sipping his tea, and setting it down curtly, before turning to address his younger sister.

She waited patiently. Sometimes Byakuya would forget to tell his sister anything, and she would have to wait for him to completely finish before he would tell her what he actually wanted to say.

However, today, he was somewhat excited, even if no one could see it. He started simply.

"I noticed, when I first came to pick you up after the incident, the your spiritual energy has grown." He began. Rukia blinked in surprise. That hadn't been what she had expected. What did that have to do with anything?

"Go on." Rukia replied, violet eyes blinking, extremely curious to what her brother had decided to do.

"I talked to Yamamoto." Byakuya continued in his cool, calm voice. "He approved. Because of your growing power, we have decided to temporarily put you in position of a lieutenant, until you give birth. It would be simple training, just teaching you the basics of being a lieutenant."

Tears burst through Rukia's eyes, and she focused on maintaining them. They were tears of joy, but still, to cry over something so silly. She suppressed her tears, and smiled up at Byakuya.

"Thank you, brother." She smiled a watery smile. "But… who am I to serve under?"

Byakuya's black hair quivered, and for a moment, he was doubtful, but he shook the thoughts away. "We are to talk it over today, but we believe, for now, you will serve under Captain Hitsugaya."

Rukia cocked her head. "But… what about Rangiku Matsumoto?" She asked. She, personally, didn't know Hitsugaya or Matsumoto that well, but she knew enough to know that Hitsugaya was as icy as his sword, and, although Matsumoto wasn't very serious, she was devoted to her Captain.

"Matsumoto unleashed her Bankai only two nights ago. She has been made Captain of the ninth squad, and now Captain Hitsugaya is without a lieutenant. Until now, we hope." Byakuya replied.

Rukia smiled. She stood, and bowed to her brother. "Thank you, brother, for doing this for me."

The black haired man waved his hand dismally. "We will be leaving by this afternoon, so don't be late." His sister gave him a grin, and leaped away upstairs.

* * *

Hitsugaya Toshiro blinked in surprise. He was standing in the meeting room, looking up at Captain Yamamoto, accompanied by Captain Byakuya, and even more surprising, Rukia Kuchiki.

She was still a rather small girl, but had grown, and was only an inch or two smaller then him, with a thick head of raven black hair, and large, scared, violet eyes. Still, he had to hand it to her, although rather small, and scared looking, her spiritual pressure was fluctuating powerfully, and she seemed at lieutenant level.

Calmly, he replied to Yamamoto. "So, you think that Rukia Kuchiki should become my temporary lieutenant, while she's pregnant? Would that be the best idea for the child?"

Before Yamamoto could reply, Big Brother Kuchiki stepped in. "That's why we are making this temporary. Nothing too hard for her. Just simple lieutenant duties, until she gives birth." Hitsugaya twitched slightly in frustration. He respected Captain Kuchiki, as much as he respected other captains, but sometimes Big Brother Kuchiki could be just plain annoying. But then again, it didn't take much to irritate Captain Hitsugaya.

The others were waiting, listening for his opinion. Hitsugaya sighed, there would be no point in refusing. It would be nice to have a lieutenant that was serious enough to stay in the office and actually do some paperwork. Still, it would be a change. What he had gathered from Rukia when they had actually been together was that she was a serious soul with a quick temper, and would be quite an adjustment from the carefree Matsumoto, but who was he to refuse?

"Okay." He replied. "I will train Kuchiki as my subordinate until she gives birth."

That was obviously the answer everyone wanted to hear, for Yamamoto gave a gruff growl of approval, and Byakuya nodded. Rukia's eyes grew a little wider, if that was even possible, and let out a light, tiny smile. She took a deep bow, her top half parallel to the tiled floor.

"Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya." Her voice was quivering, and Hitsugaya could tell she was nearly fainting with suppressed excitement.

Yamamoto cleared his throat loudly. "You are all dismissed." His voice was loud and clear. "Rukia Kuchiki, you will begin work under Captain Hitsugaya on the morrow."

With that, they all cleared. Hitsugaya wanted a quick word with Rukia, but she shyly met his gaze, then bustled after Byakuya, leaving him muttering to himself as he walked back to his own office.

His thoughts were swimming lightly. Then again, he always liked to make situations more complicated then they usually were. He supposed it would be nice to have a new lieutenant, but he was going to wait.

It wasn't bad that Rukia was becoming his lieutenant, and it wasn't good either. His feelings were neutral on the matter. And wasn't she in the real world, married to Kurosaki Ichigo? He wondered what had happened. Still, he wouldn't intrude. It wasn't his job to make sure she was ecstatic, his job was to make sure she was training hard enough to be a lieutenant. He hoped she wouldn't be effected by whatever had happened.

* * *

"Kuckiki?"

Rukia jumped as her name was called. She had been sitting cross legged outside of her new Captain's office. It had been locked, so she simply had relaxed outside of the door, not quite sure what to do.

Now, Hitsugaya was looking down at her strangely, his white eyebrows furrowed downward, watching her with pale, turquoise eyes. He blinked, not in anger, but in confusion. Never had anyone beat him to the office.

"It's early." Hitsugaya stated. "You didn't have to come this early."

Rukia jumped to her feet, surprising her captain. He had never seen a jumpier girl. She seemed rather scrawny, except for her slightly protruding stomach. Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes.

"You don't have to come this early." He repeated. "I'm used to it, but you can go ahead and sleep for a couple more hours before you arrive."

Rukia nodded her head. He could tell she was vigorous and excited, not to mention rather nervous. "I… I didn't know when to arrive, so I just decided to come early."

"Don't assume." Hitsugaya replied, not missing a beat. It was too early to be dealing with this. He just wanted to sit down and begin his paperwork, in his nice, quiet office with a cup of Yerba Mate. (A.N. Yerba Mate is a popular rather good tasting tea.)

Rukia seemed to sense his irritation, and kept her voice quiet and controlled. "Okay." She said quietly.

Hitsugaya nodded. It was rather nice to have a lieutenant who was willing to keep herself calm for the sake of the sanity of her captain.

The white haired captain unlocked the door, and they entered. It was a quiet room, with an immediate aura of seriousness and calmness. It was stiflingly neat, one of those kinds of neat that made Rukia just want to mess it all up because it was so tight.

However, Hitsugaya seemed to thrive off of this aura. He strode to his desk, collected a few papers, a small table, and handed it to Rukia. "Fill these out." He instructed. When the sun begins to shine, you can join Renji for a morning patrol." His voice seemed to cease all conversation. Rukia felt as if she was going to choke with this tight aura. How did Matsumoto stay so happy and carefree? Was it because she broke this tension when she simply walked in?

Tersely, Rukia reached out and gingerly grabbed the papers and mini desk. Hitsugaya felt her almost dying under the pressure of the room, and he seemed to take in a breath, and withhold it. He didn't want his lieutenant to choke on the first day. Maybe the reason Matsumoto was so good under him was that she was always so happy. And maybe that's why she was never in the room. Was he really that tense? He couldn't help it. It was just how he was.

He strode back to his desk as Rukia began to scribble down words on the paper. She had come prepared, and taken out a pen of her own. Looking closer, Hitsugaya saw that her pen had a chappy bunny on the top.

Unable to restrain himself, he let out the tiniest chuckle, which sounded more like an amused snort. Rukia looked up at him with those huge, violet eyes, and raised a nervous eyebrow. Hitsugaya continued to work, ignoring her gaze. He could feel how strong it was, and when she didn't lower her eyes, he turned to glance up at her.

"May I help you?" He asked, keeping his voice questioning, but trying to keep it more relaxed.

Rukia felt him trying to relax, and it only made him tenser. She smiled to herself, before answering his question.

"How come you let out that little snorting sound?" She asked lightly, almost feeling as if someone had cut the tension in between them with a knife.

Hitsugaya didn't exactly respond, but he glanced towards her chappy pen. She giggled to herself, before continuing with her work. He sighed, then continued to write, his hands scribbling large, neat cursive words on the paper.

Quite soon, the sun began to rise. As if one cue, a large banging on the door ensued through the office. Rukia let out a small squeak, and she jumped at the rapping.

"Enter." Hitsugaya growled before bending over his desk again. Instantly, the door slammed open, making Rukia squeak louder and leap out of her seat. The red headed, tattooed lieutenant named Renji Abarai stood at the door, smiling widely at the smaller girl.

"I heard the news from your brother." He boomed, gathering a startled Rukia into a giant hug.

"Ren...ji!" Rukia cried from where her mouth was being stuffed into the kimono on his chest. "L… let me go!"

Renji, still smiling like a the goof he was, released the struggling Rukia, who fell to the floor, her usual smooth black hair ruffled and scruffy.

"Congratulations! I mean, you already know that, but it's so cool! And I heard about Ichigo! That bastard…"

"Renji!" Snapped Hitsugaya, cutting off the now fuming man. Glancing sympathetically at a now crying Rukia whose eyes were watering with memory of her lost love, he continued. "There will be none of that in my office."

Instantly, Renji saw the effect his words had had on Rukia. The now silently sobbing women had pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her hands around her knees.

"Oh, man, Rukia, I'm sorry!" He said gruffly, leaning down and comfortingly touching Rukia on the face, wiping away the tears.

Instantly, Rukia pulled herself up. She wiped away her tears and smiled up at her oldest friend. "It's okay, Renji." She told him in a hoarse, watery voice. "It just… it hurts to think about him."

Instantly, it snapped in Hitsugaya's brain. So that's why she was temporarily becoming a lieutenant! That's why Byakuya had put Rukia up for this position! So it would distract her pain until it was nearly gone.

"Rukia." Hitsugaya called. Both of the lieutenants turned to look at him. "Why don't you join Lieutenant Abarai on morning patrol? Then get some breakfast and report back here."

The smaller girl nodded, and both of the lieutenants disappeared.

* * *

Yay! Another chapter done! What do you think?

Don't know how fast I'll update. If you don't like it, leave more reviews, and I might update faster. If not, well, whatever floats your boat.

Thanks for reading! In truth, I'm really, really, really, really hungry, so I don't know what to write here. So Ta Da!


	4. Kuchiki

I really like this story, so I decided to do a couple more chapters before I continue Past Fears. Yay!

In this chapter, something cool will happen, and you'll all be like, Wow! That was really cool! And I'll be like, I know! I'm just perfect! And then you will all leave a review, or I'll be like, I'M GOING TO SUCK OUT YOUR SOUL! It will all happen, just like that. Watch and see.

Hee hee, I'm sorry for freaking about with the review things. But when people review, it makes me feel good about myself that people are reading my stories and enjoying them enough to tell me about. If people don't review, it just makes me sad and I don't like to update as fast. And thank you all to those who review!

Enjoy!

* * *

Rukia stared in disbelief. She had left her captain at dawn, and now it was three hours later, and Hitsugaya was still bent over his desk in the same position. The only difference was that the stack of papers that had to be done was smaller, and the stack of papers that was done, was larger.

She flexed forward, her arms extended as she placed the small bowl of soup on his desk, flinching backward automatically. She had been serving under him for more then a month now, and they had grown strangely close. Not like him and Matsumoto, but more of a friendship, although Hitsugaya was still icy cold on his ridges, and Rukia wasn't as eager to try and make him have more fun like Matsumoto was. She was, in truth, fine with things the way they were, even though she still felt the pain of her loss of Ichigo and the sadness when she thought of the fact she would be bringing a child into this world who would never know his real father. She supposed Renji could be considered an uncle, or something like that, but she didn't think that anyone could replace the spot Ichigo had held in her heart.

Hitsugaya raised his eyebrows, looking up at her with curiosity in his teal blue eyes. He spotted the soup, and let out something that was near a smile, his eyes still slightly glancing at her now more prominent belly. She often rubbed her pregnant stomach, and would murmur silently to herself. It was a strange sight, the tiny girl with a large stomach, that, no offense to her, just looked like she had recently eaten way too much and now her stomach was too big for her.

"Thank you, Kuchiki." He told her, pulling the soup near him. "How did patrol go?" He asked her.

Rukia shrugged. "Nothing big. We didn't sense any hollows or anything, so it went smoothly."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Good, good." He took a small slurp of his soup. Rukia let out a small cough. He slurped soup just like Ichigo, slowly and carefully, as if handling something that was on fire, not a bowl of fire.

He looked up at her, and raised an eyebrow again. "What, Kuchiki?" He asked. She smiled lightly.

"You just… you remind me of Ichigo when you're drinking your soup." Hitsugaya smirked.

"I remind you of your ex husband because of the way I drink my soup?" Rukia nodded, feeling tears coming to her eyes. God, why did she have to tear up every time she thought about him? Why couldn't he just go away, and leave her thoughts alone?

Then, it was as if everything hit her full force. The affair. The hurt. The shock. She crumpled to the floor, her knees giving out underneath her, victim to the jellying of her bones. Hitsugaya stood as he saw her crumple, and swept around the table. His eyebrows were knitted together, and he hesitated. She had fallen to her knees, her arms wrapped around her slightly protruding stomach as tears ran down her red, puffed out face.

Hesitant and slightly uncomfortable, but not unsure of what to do, he bent down smoothly. His movements were graceful, like the quick slice of his sword when it bent through the air. He huddled down beside her, his arms wrapping around her, and he pulled back until he was sitting Indian style, pulling her onto his lap.

They sat like that for a while, Hitsugaya cradling Rukia, his arms wrapped around hers and her waist, and the small raven haired girl, tiny enough to curl up into a ball, was sitting in his lap until the tears began to dry.

He hadn't noticed, but he had set his chin upon her shoulder, and she bent her head until her cheek rested against his, sucking in a large breath as his icy cold cheek touched her warm one, making her shiver. Although she and her captain had gotten rather close, she hadn't ever touched his skin before. She never realized that his skin was as cold as his rough exterior.

He sighed. In truth, he somewhat enjoyed this. Instantly, he pulled a restrain on his feelings. Getting cozy with Rukia after such a heart break wasn't the best idea in the world, especially since she was pregnant. Still, he couldn't help but feel close to her, a strange bond in between them that seemed to dapple his hard heart with a soft light.

Still, he had to get back to work. Pulling himself away, he turned his head so his teal blue eyes met her large, wet, violet ones.

"You okay now?" He whispered. His voice was hoarse, and he cursed it. He was never good with intimate situations. He had never had a really close relationship with anyone, except for, maybe, Hinamori, and he had made sure to keep his closeness with Matsumoto on a pure lieutenant and captain based level.

Rukia nodded, not really noticing the strange tone his voice had taken upon. "Thank you." She whispered, rather enjoying this kinder, softer Hitsugaya. Ichigo had also been sort of rough on the outside, but he had always known when to be soft, and when to be harder.

"Good." Instantly, the soft, hoarse voice of Hitsugaya Toshiro disappeared along with his touch. A quick move and a gentle pull, he had whisked himself to his feet, and pulled Rukia along with him, walked over to his desk, and sat down. However, instead of continuing his paperwork, he leaned back on his chair.

"You know, Kuchiki." Hitsugaya began. "I don't tolerate a lot of that drama in here, okay? Matsumoto was bad, and I can understand with you, but no continuous break downs in my office."

Rukia smiled. She had always sensed that Hitsugaya was the more serious type, and didn't deal with all of the drama and stuff that Matsumoto thrived off of. So, she smiled back. "You know, Captain Hitsugaya, you no longer have to call me Kuchiki. You can call me Rukia."

Hitsugaya smirked. "I could call you Rukia, but what if I don't want to?"

"Fine." Rukia giggled to herself. "Then you _will_ call me Rukia, not Kuchiki."

"Who says you get to tell the captain what to do?"

"I'm just _asking_ you to call me by my first name!"

"And I'm just _telling_ you that that's not possible, Kuchiki."

Rukia growled. Her eyes got darker when she was angry, Hitsugaya noticed. "Then will you _please _call me Rukia?" Her eyes, although smoky, were glittering hopefully.

Hitsugaya sighed. The only lieutenant he had had before her was Matsumoto, and he had always called her, well, Matsumoto. However, he was hopeless against her puppy dog eyes. "Fine." He growled. "_Rukia."_

She smiled, and bowed, lowering her top half. "Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya."

Her captain growled. "It's not important. Now, continue with your paperwork."

Rukia smiled and nodded as she plopped down on the couch. She knew her captain wasn't one to be sentimental, and even though he had helped Rukia, more then he could ever imagine, he waved it away without even a second thought in his mind.

* * *

"Good bye, Captain Hitsugaya!" Called Rukia from the doorway. She watched him from her position, waiting until he looked up at her, like she always did.

Hitsugaya raised his eyes, knowing she was waiting for his approval to leave, even though he had told her many times before she didn't need his permission to go home. "Have a good night, Rukia." He answered, before lowering his eyes back down to his papers. He heard the door shut behind her, and knew he was all alone.

He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, his hand slightly sore from a long day of writing. Nothing exciting had happened in days. The last hollow attack hadn't been that big of one, and Hitsugaya hadn't even been involved. All that provided for him was another handsome pile of paperwork.

Deciding to call it a night, he stacked his papers, stood up, stretched, and exited through the door, nearly crashing into Rukia.

He jumped, as did she. "Ca… captain!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I… I'm sorry! I accidentally left my pen here, and I wanted to come retrieve it…"

"Don't fret." Hitsugaya said calmly. "Here." He turned, and unlocked the door, allowing Rukia to rush in, grab her pen, and run back out, as if she was involved in some sort of race.

He noticed. He tipped his head to one side, and looked at her curiously. "Are you okay, Rukia?"

She shrugged calmly, although her eyes flashed in a somewhat kind of fear. "I think so. Why?"

"You just seem a bit jumpy." Hitsugaya sighed, not really paying that much attention to it, although he was curious to the way her eyes sparkled.

She sucked in a harsh breath. "I'm kind of afraid." She confessed. "Large fluctuations of spiritual pressure have been sighted on the real world. It seems as if Ichigo has been trying to get into the Seretei."

That news shocked Hitsugaya. He growled. He had grown close enough to Rukia to know when she was really afraid, and he had grown rather protective of his new lieutenant. Ichigo had decided to hurt her, and he wouldn't be sneaking into the Seretei to try and get her back, especially now that she was five months pregnant with his child. He knew her heart well enough and he realized that a visit from a pleading Ichigo might just break her heart into two.

"Ichigo won't get in." Hitsugaya said, in a rather promising tone. "The Seretei is very protected, and he won't get in."

Rukia smiled at her captain. He was so bold, with his face set on whatever decision he decided to make. "Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya."

He shrugged, before walking off, waving a goodbye to her. She looked after him, feeling, for whatever odd reason, completely protected.

* * *

Byakuya growled. "Are you sure that's what you saw?" He demanded, tone deep, eyes dark and smoky with fury.

Mayuri, the strange captain of the 12th division, nodded, his freak face bent in a crazed sort of smile, if one could call it a smile.

"Yes, it seems that Kurosaki wasn't able to control his temper after Rukia left, and looks as if he has completely given in to his hollow form." Mayuri's voice was harsh and squeaky.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes even more. He himself had witnessed the brutal power of Ichigo's hollow powers. It had nearly killed Byakuya with a single blow, and he shuddered to think of what a thing like that could do to someone as dainty as Rukia, even if she was more powerful then before.

Yamamoto turned to Byakuya, his own thoughts concerned. "What do you suppose we do with your sister, Captain Kuchiki?"

Byakuya debated for a moment. "Hold our positions, I say." He replied. "Even though he is powerful, his only way into the Seretei is from Kisuke, and I doubt that even he would be crazy enough to lend his invention to Ichigo in his hollow form."

The old man nodded. "I believe you're right, Captain Kuchiki. For now, we shall hold our positions. You are all dismissed."

Byakuya bowed, and left, his thoughts swimming. If Ichigo had given into his hollow form, and did make it into the Seretei, then God forbid he found Rukia. Who knows whether the monster would simply kill her, or capture her and take her away? The thought was foreboding, and Byakuya nearly shivered in spite of himself. He didn't know what was worse, Rukia being killed by her ex husband in hollow form, or being captured and forced to live with him.

* * *

Yay! Another chapter done! I'm on a role, and to anyone who likes Past Fears, I'm not stopping! Just one more chapter, then I'll put this one on hold and continue Past Fears, mk?

Please review!


	5. Sun Jewels

I'm SOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYY!! I didn't mean to slack off, but I have a LOT to do! I'm cleaning and babysitting and doing school work and UGGHHH!

Hopefully this chapter is good, regarding I haven't been writing that much lately. Please review! But read first.

* * *

Hitsugaya's turquoise eyes stretched so wide, that Rukia thought they might split open at the creases. What had the hell butterfly said?

For a second, her captain sat immobilized, then he rose fluidly and slipped out of the room, leaving Rukia with the only command to stay there. She blinked after him. Her arms were full of paperwork, and she had no idea what to do. Well, there was one thing she could do.

She eased her skinny body around the desk, and tentatively slipped into the chair, glancing around as if she expected her captain to come around the corner and scold her, as always.

But he didn't. The hallway was empty. Rukia didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

She let herself relax into the chair. It was… comfortable. Supporting. It was one of those chairs that was made for someone who was going to lean over a desk and do paperwork all day.

The thick material rubbed against her, but it was a nice feeling. She leaned forward, and something caught her eye. A single white hair. With care, she plucked the hair from the mahogany table. It twisted in between her fingers, and something about having a piece of him near her comforted her.

Rukia smirked at herself and threw the piece of hair onto the floor. She knew how stupid that sounded, being comforted by a piece of hair. Still, she couldn't help but notice his scent all around her. She didn't know what it was about Hitsugaya, but she just felt naturally safe around him. It seemed that, around him, her troubled thoughts and pains she felt when she thought of Ichigo and her fatherless baby just melted away.

But she couldn't think like that. She had vowed to never fall in love again. It hurt too much.

* * *

Hitsugaya hadn't run this fast since his fight with Aizen. The wind whipped his hair and clothes, and he had to squint his eyes to see where he was going. His heart was pounding hard, and he knew the situation was already under control, but he couldn't help himself.

He skidded to a halt as he arrived at the edge of the Seretei. Byakuya, Matsumoto, Yamamoto, and Jyushiro were all at the edge. Their eyes flitted to Hitsugaya, and concern flashed through them.

Hitsugaya wasted no time. He sidled up next to them, his turquoise eyes glancing around. The bricks on the ground her scorched and destroyed, and he sensed that the force that protected Seretei was nearly broken.

"What happened?" He asked.

Yamamoto faced him gravely. "Didn't you get my message? You know what happened."

Hitsugaya nodded, he couldn't believe it though. "Did he break through?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Ichigo tried, and I'm amazed he got that far through the wall. He's grown even stronger." Byakuya looked more grim then usual. "He did a lot of damage though, even if he didn't break in."

Yamamoto turned to Hitsugaya. "Go back to your office, Captain Hitsugaya." The captain ordered. "I'll call in a team."

For a second, Hitsugaya thought about arguing, but then thought better about it. He turned, and was about to leave, when a gruff hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you going to tell Rukia?" Byakuya hissed into Hitsugaya's ear.

"What do you think?" Hitsugaya answered, feeling a little wary at Byakuya's overwhelming fury.

Byakuya released Hitsugaya, his dark gaze penetrating Hitsugaya's dark turquoise ones. "I trust you, Hitsugaya. Do what you think is right." He sped off, leaving Hitsugaya confused. Warmed by Byakuya's trust, but confused.

* * *

He sped back, surprised that the door to his office was open. He heard a loud breathing noise.

Alarmed, he stepped through the door, his hand on his zanpakuto. He suddenly relaxed, and even smiled slightly. There was Rukia, her smallish figure slumped in his chair, with her five month pregnant stomach protruding. She was asleep.

He smiled and stepped through the door. As he peered down at Rukia, he saw that she had started to do her paperwork, then had nodded off in his chair. That was exactly the reason he hadn't let Matsumoto work in there.

"Rukia?" He called softly, shaking her shoulder, beginning to get a little annoyed. He knew she must be tired because of the pregnancy, but there was much to do.

The small girl yawned, and stretched back on her chair, raising her arms above her head, then reaching back down and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

Hitsugaya smirked down at her. "Enjoy your nap, Kuchiki?"

Instantly, Rukia realized where she was. However, she smiled a bit, and something mischievous glittered in her eye.

"Very much, Captain Hitsugaya, thanks for asking." She replied, rather curtly.

Her white haired captain glared back at her, and even though his mouth was a placid line, his own eyes glittered with amusement, and although he would never admit it, Rukia was sure he was blushing. However, he had no time for this. There was much he had to discuss with her, so he got rid of her the only way he knew how.

"Out of my chair, Kuchiki." He growled. Rukia knew that there was no messing around with him. Something seemed to be disturbing him. He rarely called her Kuchiki.

So she stood up, and he quickly slipped into his chair, relaxing against the felt. He folded his hands against his stomach, then stared at Rukia with guarded eyes.

Rukia felt uncomfortable as he stared at her like that. His teal gaze seemed to break down her walls and penetrate her mind, yet she couldn't feel anything come from him. His face was a solid mask, and she couldn't get past it.

He leaned back in his chair, and studied Rukia. He could tell she felt uncomfortable under his gaze. Her eased irritation fired up now and then, but she was too bashful of him to say anything.

"It's only been three months." Hitsugaya said. Rukia's eyes began to tear up, but she quickly wiped them away and held the rest of the tears back.

"What's your point?" She asked, her voice wavering a tiny bit. She felt taken aback. This Hitsugaya was different then her normal captain. He had always been a scrutinizing kind of guy, but now it was as if he was trying to break Rukia's walls down piece by piece.

However he didn't answer. Instead he stood. He walked past her calmly, gently grabbing her hand as he walked by.

"Cap… Captain Hitsugaya!" She exclaimed, her violet eyes wide as she stumbled after him, his icy cold hand gripping hers. "Where are we going?"

He turned his teal blue eyes upon her, and for a second she was caught in his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt as if time had stopped. He suddenly seemed so young, as she traced every soft line on his face with her eyes. Somehow, she always ended up looking back into his eyes. She had never realized that, even though she acknowledged he had never been bad looking, he was so handsome.

"Stop questioning everything, Kuchiki." He murmured. Although he usually only called her by her last name when something serious was happening, his eyes were glittering with something she didn't recognize. "Just come with me. We're going to get lunch."

Only twenty minutes later, Rukia found herself carrying a bowl of rice and chicken in one hand, while her other hand still was in Hitsugaya's. He carried only a small cup of soup.

The raven haired girl peeked at him from the corner of her eye. He was lost in thought, his white eyebrows furrowed as always. Rukia had no idea where he was leading her. They were simply going up a trail in the forest.

She finally gave up on trying to read his mind, and watched the forest pass by. The trees were elegantly tall, with bushels of green leaves at the top. Shrubs and flowers bloomed across the floor, clearing into a tiny path that just allowed Hitsugaya and Rukia to walk side by side. She sighed. She just wanted to know where they were heading. She could also hear a roaring sound farther ahead. What was that about?

As if reading her thoughts, Hitsugaya snapped out of his mind train, and looked forward, his eyebrows seeming to raise a bit. "We're here." He stated calmly, his usual calm façade never failing him.

Rukia gasped as they were launched out of the forest and into a clearing. She hadn't realized they had gone so far up. They stood over a huge cliff, with the sun glittering in the sky, illuminating the bright blue sky. Rukia hadn't realized that there had been a stream nearby, and her eyes widened as a waterfall emptied out before them, rushing. That was what the roaring sound had been. Rukia dropped Hitsugaya's hand and raised it to her mouth, as she watched the water poor down into a lake at the bottom of the cliff. The forest spanned out below them, creating a breath taking scene that brought tears to her eyes.

Hitsugaya smirked at her, despite the fact he had brought her here for a picnic, his usual irritation and seriousness shone through. "Why are you crying now, Kuchiki?"

Rukia, determined not to show any weakness, wiped away the tears, and smiled at him. "It's just so pretty. Th… thank you for bringing me here for lunch."

Hitsugaya shrugged modestly. "It just felt as if you needed a little fresh air out of the office." He replied grudgingly, as if he hated showing the fact he was actually a human being that had feelings. He strode forward, brushing against her, and stepped near the waterfall. Rukia followed tentatively, uncomfortable with the loud noise. Even if the waterfall was a small one, generated from a small stream, the noise still was loud, and Rukia couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she fell in.

For now she ignored her doubts. Hitsugaya settled gracefully upon a flat rock, his eyes motioning Rukia to sit next to him. She sidled onto the rock next to him. It was hard on her bottom, and she shifted.

The day was beautiful, and Rukia tried to absorb it all as she downed her chicken and rice. Hitsugaya slowly sipped his soup, as he always did, his eyes fixed on the scenery. Rukia tried to stop, but she knew she spent more of the time glancing at him then watching the scenery.

After fifteen minutes, Rukia grew bored of just sitting there. She stood and roamed over to the waterfall, tottering over the edge to stare at the water as it slapped against the churning lake below. The trees that bordered the sandy beach glittered as drops of water splattered on them.

Suddenly, she felt her feet slip. The ground was wet and slick due to the water, and Rukia began falling over the edge. She gasped, and closed her eyes.

Then, something warm wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened when she saw only the ground, but sighed with relief when she realized she wasn't falling. Hitsugaya had saved her.

His arms still wrapped around her waist, forming against her rather plump stomach, he pulled her back. "What were you thinking?" He growled. His voice was sharp and he sounded irritated, but something else shone through. Concern?

Despite the danger gone, he didn't let go of her. For a second, Rukia thought about breaking free, but realized she liked his grip around her, with her back pressed against her front. It felt blissful.

Hitsugaya felt the same, his spine chilling slightly as a new sensation whispered through his limbs. He closed his eyes in an attempt to black his mind, and get rid of the feeling. One, two, three. There. Gone. He relaxed, and rested his head on her shoulder, his cheek pressed against hers.

They sat there for a moment, then Rukia turned in his grip. Hitsugaya started at her sudden movement, her body snapping him out of his thoughts. He arms now touched around her back, and his eyes stared into hers.

Rukia closed her eyes, unable to stare into those intense blue orbs. She was aware of her body pressing against his, and a strange tingling racked her body, sending thrills of giddiness up her body. That was the only word she could think of for it. Ichigo used to do the same thing to her. Whenever he set his gaze upon her, she felt that intense feeling rise up her body. And now he was causing her body to shiver.

Hitsugaya stared back at her unwaveringly, his gaze wrapping around her plump round face. Her raven black hair was sleek and as glossy as ever, and when she looked back at him with those soft, violet eyes, he felt his heart twinge. He had always been too busy to really notice before, but Rukia was beautiful. He never thought she looked bad, but now she seemed breathtaking.

Rukia felt her heart beating a million times per second. Yet the impulse was strong. She leaned farther into his embrace, sneaking her arms around his own back.

He was surprised. He knew he shouldn't' take advantage of her, and he knew that he would beat himself up about this later, but he couldn't stop himself. He liked this feeling, and he was intent on holding onto it.

Although Rukia thought it would happen, she was shocked when she felt his lips brush hers. For a second she froze, then she felt her real instincts taking over. She kissed him back, leaning farther into him.

The white haired man accepted her, and held her tight to him. He felt his heart soar and was light headed, but he remained as he was.

She was disappointed when he broke the kiss, and stepped back from her. For a second, Rukia felt her heart almost break. Was he backing away because she was once with Ichigo?

However, his gaze was intense, and filled with so much emotion, Rukia thought they might explode. Her own heart felt full with joy. But when he looked at her that way, she knew he wouldn't do that. She didn't need him to tell her. She just knew.

Then it happened again. Time seemed to freeze as she looked at him. Every single feature on his face was apparent to her, but then something else happened. The splashes from the waterfall suddenly lifted up next to his face, and as the sun illuminated them, they turned and were crafted into tiny sun crystals.

"So pretty." Rukia murmured. Instantly, the spell was broken, and Hitsugaya smirked at her.

"Are you calling me pretty, Kuchiki?" He growled at her, his eyebrows raising with his mocking tone.

Rukia blushed, but before she could answer, a new voice interrupted them.

"Yes, Kuchiki. Are you calling her pretty?" Rukia froze when she heard that voice. That familiar gruff voice. Hitsugaya moved automatically, placing his own body in front of hers to protect her, his teal blue gaze full of horror and fury as they met amber eyes.

* * *

Whacha! What do you think of that! Beware my cliffhanger powers! Mua hahahaha!

Haha, after this wonderful chapter, you should all leave a review! I would be really happy and might write the next chapter faster! Hint, hint.


	6. Breathe

Hehe, how did you like that last chapter? I thought it was pretty good. I'm sorry I haven't been updating as fast. I have so much going on, but I hope this chapter is as good as the others.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Refrain from moving." Growled a soft voice above the mangled man. Blood covered him, slashes ripping his clothes and scarred his body. He thrashed out, trying to get to his feet, but a gentle grip held him back.

"Captain Byakuya." Begged the gentle leader of the Fourth Squad, Captain Unohana. "Hitsugaya is with your little sister. Please stop struggling. Captain Soi Fon, Captain Shunsui, and Captain Matsumoto are headed that way now. "

The squad captain, after a brief but valiant struggle, sunk into his already blood soaked bed, but more of exhaustion then Unohana's orders. Retsu knew how touchy the man was, and how desperately protective over his adopted sister he was. Guilt and anger swam in his dark eyes, and more then once she wished she had the power to instantly heal someone, but knew that as harsh as Byakuya had been scratched, it would take a while for him to recover.

He shuddered once, his body beginning to shut down, ready for repairs.

* * *

That voice. That terrible, terrible voice. It boomed through her body, sending racks of hate and anger through her pregnant self.

As the man stepped through the shadows and the glittering light shone on him, revealing his face, twisted in a demented smile that crawled like a spider through the air, making the warmth of the afternoon fade away as if it was the morning dew dissipating under the sun.

His color of his bright orange hair was the same, but it was wild, unkempt. Matted. That was new. His amber eyes shone with a cunning evil.

Hitsugaya felt his skin crawl at Ichigo's stare, but what horrified him most was that Ichigo had made an entire transformation into a hollow form. His face was wrapped in that grueling mask, his skinny black sword, his long black cloak, and his spiritual power fluxuating painfully and angrily.

Automatically, Hitsugaya took his place in front of his petrified lieutenant. Indeed, Rukia was paralyzed with terror, her violet eyes wide, and her skinny white arms wrapped around her protruding stomach, her body shaking violently.

However, Ichigo didn't seem to even notice Hitsugaya's offensive position. His amber eyes were glazed on Rukia, his mouth turning into a bright and twisted grin.

"Lovely." He murmured. Hitsugaya flinched as the snaky voice slipped outside of his mouth. "You're so lovely, Rukia, with our child." He chanted, his amber eyes dancing. "Come, we'll go back."

His voice broke Rukia of her trance. She shivered despite the heat. He didn't talk like that. He talked rudely, or angrily, or sometimes, just for her, sweetly. He never had talked like a slimy hollow.

Suddenly feeling outraged, Hitsugaya stepped forward. "You won't touch her." He snarled.

Ichigo blinked, then smirked. But inside, doubt was tumbling. Hitsugaya had gotten stronger, almost as strong as him, and although the boy's face seemed similar, he had sprouted taller, and was almost as tall as Ichigo, with strong muscles rippling under his uniform. And he hadn't gone into Bankai yet. Yet, he could sense the suppressed fear emanating from Hitsugaya. The boy wasn't even sure of his own power. Oh, how wonderful it was to face off to a reluctant opponent.

He pushed the doubts away. All that mattered was Rukia.

But Hitsugaya was an obstacle.

"Move, boy." Ichigo growled. "She isn't yours. So _move!"_ Hitsugaya was unprepared as Ichigo flashed forward, swatting Hitsugaya aside as if he was a mere bug.

Yet that swat was enough to send Hitsugaya slamming into a rock. For a moment, everything went black, disappearing from sight. Then, it returned, colors blasting back like a rushing waterfall. His head pounded, but he knew Rukia was in trouble. He tried to stand up, but blackness surrounded him, and he stumbled back down, a thin trickle of blood dripping through his bleached white hair.

Rukia glanced a helpless glance at Hitsugaya. Her heart ached for him, and it struck her how harshly she cared for her strict captain.

Ichigo growled as he saw Rukia staring at Hitsugaya. "Look at me, dammit!" He snarled. When she didn't flinch, he snatched her chin and wrenched it towards him, so their faces were an inch apart.

"I said _look at me!"_ His voice was a terrifying screech, and Rukia felt as if she would explode under his blood-curdling stare. It seemed to stretch through her, chilling her down to the marrow of her bones.

She felt a hot stare on her back, and Rukia took a deep breath, summoning up all the courage in her body from Hitsugaya's pained and heated stare as the captain rebalanced himself, ready to attack again.

"Get away!" Rukia cried, slipping away from his grip. She gasped as her feet began to slip from under her. All that weight on her stomach made her balance weak.

His arms slid around her waist, pulling her forward. Rukia wrenched her eyes closed, trying to pull out of that disgusting man's embrace, but his grip was firm.

"Keep still, Rukia." A voice hissed into her ear. She froze, but not in fear.

Her eyes flew open as Captain Shunsui's brown hair flew around her face, his gentle gaze holding hers.

Rukia gasped as Captain Matsumoto and Captain Soi Fon appeared beside her, their hands grasping the hilts of their swords, and their eyes lit with the fury of battle.

"Get back, Kurosaki!" Spat Captain Soi Fon, her stance offensive as she stepped closer to him.

Rukia blinked as Ichigo's eyes glazed with anxiety and irritation. Her eyes flew past him, though, as she saw Hitsugaya beginning to advance at Ichigo from the side.

Ichigo backed away, his face snarling. "Don't think you've won." He hissed. He swung around, glaring at Hitsugaya. "You won't always be around." With that, he launched himself away, through the forest.

"After him!" Soi Fon howled. She leapt after Ichigo, Matsumoto hot on her trail.

"Take care of her." Captain Shunsui said to Hitsugaya, setting Rukia down and running after the two other Captains.

Rukia nearly crumpled to the ground, but a gentle hand on her elbow stedied her. She looked up, seeing Hitsugaya's blazing turquoise gaze.

"Let's go back." He growled. Rukia blinked, averting her eyes down at her feet, instantly feeling guilty that she brought this on to Soul Society, onto Hitsugaya.

As if reading her mind, he looked down at her with concern in his teal eyes. She blushed, surprised by his affection, and looked away shyly. "Don't feel as if this was your fault, Rukia." Although his eyes were intense, his voice was soft. When she didn't look back up at him, he raised his hand, his forefinger and thumb grasping her chin with the gentlest touch. He pulled her face closer to his, until her eyes were forced to look into his.

She felt trapped under his serious, yet kind, glare. She returned it sheepishly, knowing she could recoil if she wanted to, but her feet were rooted into place. She didn't want to pull away.

Suddenly, Hitsugaya stepped away, a wall seeming to shoot up between them. She shivered at the intense change, forcing herself to stand confidently.

"Captain Kuchiki was attacked by Ichigo." Hitsugaya told her. "He was forced into extensive care when Captain Unohana found him, but he isn't dead."

Rukia relaxed, suddenly realizing that Hitsugaya wanted her to get back to the hospital as quick as possible for her brother.

"Let's go." Hitsugaya told her, grasping her hand gently.

* * *

"R…Rukia." Rukia bent over, her eyes tearing, as her brother's body convulsed with pain as blood began to gush from his stomach. He coughed, the red liquid pouring out of his mouth.

"Don't push yourself, Captain Kuchiki!" Snapped Captain Unohana as she healed Byakuya, her hands lighting with a mystical glow. Hitsugaya blinked in amusement. Retsu never sounded that impatient or harsh unless one of her patients were pushing themselves unnecessarily.

Byakuya wasn't really listening. "You're alright." He breathed. His eyes, however, were stone cold as ever. It took patience to look past Byakuya's rough exterior to see how much he cared for Rukia.

"She'll be fine." Hitsugaya yawned. Rukia glanced at him sharply, but Hitsugaya couldn't help it. He was exhausted. Somehow, Ichigo had almost sapped Hitsugaya of his power when he had slammed him into the rock. His body was tired.

"Rukia, Captain Unohana, leave Captain Hitsugaya and I alone for a moment." Byakuya croaked. Hitsugaya blinked with surprise, as Retsu glared.

"But…" She began to protest, but one sharp look from Byakuya told her to back off. She turned, leading a curious looking Rukia out of the room.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Byakuya hissed, his tone even, although his body was racked with spasms of pain. "I have a special task for you, you're the only one who can do it."

Hitsugaya stood silently, letting his eyes encourage Byakuya, curiosity ragging through him.

"I need you to watch Rukia." Byakuya gasped. "Don't leave her alone for a second, for if you do, Ichigo will attack her. Someone needs to protect her, and it obviously won't be me in this condition."

Hitsugaya stood, stunned. At another moment in time, he would have thought that Byakuya was trying to joke, but his blunt tone erased all merriment. "But… why me? Why not Captain Matsumoto, or maybe Renji…"

Byakuya shook his head, cutting Hitsugaya off. "Renji would jump on the chance to protect Rukia, but I don't think he's strong enough to protect her if Ichigo decided to attack. And I don't trust anybody else to do this."

"I…" Hitsugaya tried to refuse, then hesitated. "What would Rukia think?" He asked instead.

"I'll talk to her." Byakuya replied. "If you say yes, then I could get her to agree."

Hitsugaya nodded slowly. "I'll leave then." He growled. "I'll send her in." He turned to leave, motioning for Rukia to talk to her brother as he whisked down the hall, and toward his office.

"Captain Hitsugaya!" A sharp voice called to Hitsugaya. He sighed with irritation, and turned to see Renji darting towards him.

"Yes, Renji?" Hitsugaya said in a curt, drawling voice, hoping Renji would catch the hint and make this brief. Just because he saved Rukia didn't make him a popular gossip station.

Yet the red head was as oblivious as usual. "I heard Ichigo broke in!" Renji gasped. "Is that true?"

Hitsugaya blinked in annoyance. "Was that all you came to ask me, Renji?" He snapped. "Yes, it's true, is there something you need to tell me?"

Renji furrowed his eyebrows. "Is Rukia in danger? I'll flay that stupid orange headed idiot!"

"No, Ichigo's just going to run away, because everything is always that easy. Of course Rukia's in danger." Hitsugaya growled. Renji flinched away from the harsh captain.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Renji hissed, now getting the drift. Hitsugaya watched as the lieutenant stamped away, and almost grinned at how easily the man was offended.

* * *

"But… brother!" Rukia gasped, her eyes growing wide. "I can take care of myself, I don't need him trailing after me!"

Part of Rukia's pride forced herself to retaliate, but she couldn't ignore the tiny niggle of pleasure that soothed her mind.

"What are you going to do if Ichigo decides to take you?" Byakuya growled back. "He can stop him."

"But how will he be with me all the time?" Rukia challenged her brother.

"Until I'm healed, he will stay with you in the mansion." He choked back at her. "He may have my bed. Now go." He ordered when she started to protest. "I have to rest."

Unohana rolled her eyes. _He didn't mind having visitors before._

* * *

Hitsugaya raised his eyes from his paperwork as Rukia entered the room, looking irritated. Byakuya probably could have played that one out better.

"What did Captain Kuchiki have to say?" Hitsugaya asked his subordinate.

"You know perfectly well what he wanted to say." She huffed at him, eyes flashing with annoyance. "He said he wants you to watch me until he gets better, and you'll be sleeping at our mansion."

That surprised Hitsugaya. He hadn't given much thought to how he would watch Rukia all the time.

"We have work to do until then." He told her, trying to hold his feelings in and to treat her as he had before. If it were Ichigo, she wouldn't have hesitated in arguing, but now she just nodded, snatching a few papers from his desk, plopped down on the couch, and began to scribble away. Hitsugaya watched her for a moment, letting his eyes linger on her lithe form, then glanced back down at his papers, focusing as much as he could.

Only minutes seemed to pass when a shadow suddenly fell upon him. "It's nearly midnight, Captain Hitsugaya." Rukia was watching him, her violet eyes flashing. "I'm not staying here all night."

Hitsugaya stood and stretched. "I suppose I have no choice, do I?" He asked her, amusement flashing in his eyes.

Rukia smiled broadly. "Unless you're planning on having me sleep on the couch?"

The smallest smile twitched at the corners of Hitsugaya's mouth. "Of course, Kuchiki, because I want you to wake up with the worst back ache in the world. Besides, you'd just use it as an excuse to not do paperwork."

Rukia laughed. "Alright, you evil captain, let's get going." Hitsugaya stepped aside the table, strolling past her, his arm brushing hers as he began walking away.

She ran up beside him, her side nearly touching his as they walked towards the mansion, silky moonlight pouring down around them.

Rukia gently led him to her mansion with a push of her shoulder, until they arrived. She felt her breath becoming harsher and her heart thumping louder as her body got closer to his. Yet when she glanced at him his eyes were held straight and he didn't glance back at her. Her fists clenched slightly in frustration. He had kissed her, hadn't he? He had led her to the waterfall, yet now he seemed as far away as ever.

But underneath his exterior, she had no idea what was going on.

Hitsugaya had always been a closed book. But the thing about books is no matter what the cover says, there's always a story inside, and sometimes the stories liked to slip outside of the pages.

He felt her frustration and confusion upon him like a storm cloud. He wanted to reach and comfort her, to tell her how he felt about her, but every now and then the book cover was locked closed. He didn't feel like he could tell her anything without leaving everything that had been with him so long.

Toshiro Hitsugaya had reached his position swiftly, with pure strength and natural talent. For so long every single thing in his life was expected, was planned for. Sure, the Aizen thing had thrown a surprise at him, but that was physical battle. Hitsugaya hadn't felt anything towards that man besides a trust between two Captains, and after his betrayal, anger and disgust. Yet that was simply Hitsugaya doing his job, protecting Soul Society.

He had always been emotionally stable. Well, maybe short tempered and irritable at times, but he knew his place, most of the time. Having Rukia here, a small girl, torn apart inside because of a past relationship, and seeming to rely on him for safety, definitely was outside his comfort zone. His heart wanted to be with her, to leave his little world, but his mind was working in the opposite direction.

But he knew what was going on in her mind. She was sure he would leave her, he just knew. She couldn't understand what was going on in him, but he felt his heart clenching when he thought about her leaving. He could never hurt her like that.

Suddenly, he whirled around to face her, working on impulse. That was new.

Rukia let out a squeak of surprise as he turned towards her. For a moment, she flinched away from him, reacting on instinct, but he reached out to her. She hesitated, then fell towards him, embracing him close. They pressed their lips together, alone, on the deserted streets.

He broke away, staring deeply into her large violet eyes. She stared back, her face smooth with wondering and love.

"I could never hurt you, Kuchiki." He murmured to her.

Rukia's eyes grew large as he spoke to her. Something about his words reassured her purely.

Her heart struggled against itself. Trusting someone again like this made her head call out in frustration. Ichigo had torn her apart. Yet, at the same time, it was almost predictable. Ichigo was a playful guy, even if he was serious. It wasn't really that surprising he would have to have two women.

Yet Hitsugaya was different. At least, she hoped fiercely that he was. She didn't know if she would be able to cope if he did.

"Come on, let's keep going." His voice whispered into her ear, writhing around her. She closed her eyes, and nodded. This time, as they began to walk towards the mansion, he held her close, and she bent her heads onto his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

"Here it is." She yawned, feeling her feet beginning to drag. Her five month pregnant stomach was definitely weighing her down.

The manner loomed over them as they stepped inside. Hitsugaya snorted in slight approval. He liked the aura of this house, slightly serious, because of Byakuya, but also naturally energetic, with an important tinge.

"Brother's room is over there." Rukia pointed towards a closed door as they walked up the stairs. "Mine's right across the hall."

Hitsugaya nodded. "If you want you can come with me to the office when I do, but you can sleep on the couch for a little while." He examined her from the corner of his eye.

She shrugged. "I guess I don't have a choice."

"I'll wake you up." He said gently. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, before turning and retreating into Byakuya's room, sliding the door shut behind him.

Rukia watched him for a moment, wondering if she should follow him. Then she shook her head, pushing her way into her room.

She dressed in her silk robe, making sure she had a clean outfit for tomorrow. Yet she felt jumpy, not ready for bed. She wandered over to her bedroom window, and stared out, watching the deserted streets and the silent houses, the black sky shimmering overhead, the stars and moon coloring the earth.

Yet, the longer she looked, the darker they became. She felt her eyes become distorted. Were those street lights wavering? A sudden choking sensation washed over her. She couldn't breathe. Her fists gripped the windowsill, so tight it turned her knuckles red, then white. Her stomach tightened, as if someone was grappling with it.

Then, just as quick as it swept upon her, it dissipated, leaving her gasping for air as she collapsed to the ground, letting out a low, resounding moan as her body collided with the floor, her eyes shut tight with pain.

"Rukia!" Gasped a voice. She flinched as she heard Hitsugaya's tone, deep with concern and anger flashed around her. He bent down towards her, picking her up. He dipped her back down onto her bed, resting her on her back. He leaned closer to her, using one hand to feel her cheek and the other to rest on her stomach.

"Rukia, speak to me." He whispered, trying not to make his voice clench. She shivered, spasms racking her body.

Fear gripped his heart, as he huddled close to her. "Rukia." He hissed. "Rukia, talk to me. Please." She shuddered again, and he pulled her closer, trying to warm her.

Suddenly a breath filled her body. She gasped, as if all the gravity was suddenly crashing down on her. Her body flinched and her eyes flew open, staring up at him.

"Captain." She breathed, her voice hoarse with pain. "What happened?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "I don't know." He whispered back, trying not to let his voice show how much relief slammed through his body as he realized she was okay.

He pulled back as she straightened, eyes wide with wonder. "I was just looking out the window." She gasped. "And suddenly, it was like I couldn't breathe. It was as if something was choking me."

Hitsugaya didn't know what to say. He simply pressed closer to her, trying to hide the fear rising inside him. He couldn't help but feel as if Ichigo had something to do with this, and if he did, that meant Ichigo could reach her through his spiritual pressure.

How far would the hollow man go to try and get back his lost love?

* * *

Yes, it's longer, but it's a good chapter. I'll get to work on the next one as soon as possible!

Review por favor!


	7. How To Live

Jeez, has it really been this long since I've updated? Wow, I'm falling behind. Sorry for anybody who likes this story. By computer's a piece of… well… let's just say I have a few choice words going through my head…

Alright, there's a bit of one-sided love in this chapter, but it's okay, because that's just me.

Oh, by the way, there isn't much action in this chapter, courtesy of a special request. Sorry to all action lovers.

And sorry if it seems kinda long. But I think all my chapters will be a little bit longer from now on, so oh well.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

_She dreamt of trees swaying in a breeze that kissed her cheeks like a brush of fingers upon her cheeks. Her violet eyes glittered as the sun leaked through the light leaves, dappling the ground, intruding through the dark patches of shade the draped over her._

_A sudden movement caught her eye. She turned, but saw nothing. Yet, she was almost positive she had seen a flash of white through the thick forest. _

_She didn't really notice when the sun began to fade, but the breeze that had once gently brushed her skin now began to shiver through her flesh. She looked up, and saw the sky beginning to darken. And when she looked around, she realized that not just the sky was darkening, but the forest was darkening as well. _

_She gave out a strangled squeal as the wind suddenly bit through her, chilling her to the bone. She fell back two steps, and found herself tumbling onto the ground. She closed her eyes and emitted a low moan of pain. But her eyes didn't open back up until moments later. And then she wished she would never have opened them._

_The forest was gone, and she was surrounded by black. She choked on her own fear, trying to scramble away. Her arms reached behind her, as her legs kicked away the black._

_Suddenly, her hands touched something soft. Something warm. She froze, and closed her eyes, wishing with every fiber that it was something good._

_She squeezed her eyes closed, and gasped as a warm hand pressed against her cheek. She could hear a voice, calling her name…_

"Rukia?" A voice, both icy yet warm, simpered through her ears, awakening her mind. She flipped her eyes open, and saw Hitsugaya's eyes staring down at her, deep with concern. His turquoise eyes seemed to sear through her, making her shiver.

"You were talking in your sleep." He told her gently. "Are you okay?"

Rukia blinked in embarrassment, automatically wondering what she had said. She pressed herself upright, and turned her gaze to her Captain, feeling her body flinch involuntarily as she remembered…

He probed her with deep eyes, a question beginning to form on his lips again. Rukia mentally shook her head to rid herself of all these thoughts. "I'm fine." She said quietly. "It was just an unsettling dream."

Hitsugaya hesitated beside her, but removed his hand. He looked hard at her, wondering what was really going on. He wondered how effected she would be by yesterday. He found himself wishing he could ensure her safety. He wasn't quite sure how, but he had become inexplicably close to his lieutenant, and now was extremely protective over her.

Still looking thoughtful, he stood. "It's still really early." He told her. "But we'll be setting out soon. Get ready."

Rukia watched as he walked out of the room. As usual, he had unexpectedly secluded himself into his own thoughts. For not the first time, she wished she knew what he was thinking.

Her own mind was now shrouded in thought as she dressed herself and yanked a brush through her mussed hair, stopping every so often to erupt her mouth into a huge yawn. She was beginning to understand why Hitsugaya was so serious and irritable. Getting up at this hour in the morning, with only a stack of paperwork to look forward to, would be enough to turn anyone into a grump.

She cocked her head as she heard knocking on her door. She stepped forward and opened. Hitsugaya waited for her, looking mildly impatient. Yet, Rukia saw that, if she looked closer, her Captain looked tired.

"Are you ready?" He asked. Rukia nodded, but she knew he only slightly saw it. She could tell by the way his eyes were glazed he was off in his own world.

She followed him out the door and through the streets. They were deserted at this hour, as expected.

Unconsciously, the two pressed closer to each other, until their arms started brushing. At first, as their clothes touched, Rukia would flinch away, and mumble an apology. However, after a couple times, she gave up. She tried to divert her thoughts so she wouldn't start blushing, but by the time they got to the office, Rukia was leaning sleepily into her Captain, and he willingly accepted her.

As he led her into the office, Rukia glanced at his face. Veiled in mystery, as usual. She would have felt irritated if she wasn't so exhausted. Despite his far away mind, Hitsugaya gently led Rukia to the couch, allowing her to make herself comfortable.

"Are you cold?" He whispered into her ear. Rukia smiled as small chills ran up her spine, but not because she was cold. She reached forward, and twined her fingers with his. He blinked somewhat in surprise, but then did something he rarely did. He smiled warmly. He crouched down next to the couch, and kissed her deeply.

Rukia felt her heart beat faster, yet her mind seemed to work slower. She felt elated as her lips sunk into his. His grip was slow and soft, and she found herself wondering how such an icy character could touch so gently.

When they broke away, Rukia gaped at him, her eyes tracing every contour of his face. His eyes met hers, with an emotion that evoked something in her that made her heart beat fast.

He suddenly pulled a blanket that he apparently kept under the couch, and wrapped it around her, tucked it underneath her body. He disentangled his fingers from hers, then pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Sleep well." He said warmly, before standing and walking away. Rukia immediately felt a sense of longing as he went to his desk. She curled up, pressed her knees closer to her protruding stomach. She found herself thinking about Ichigo.

She wondered what had exactly happened when she left. Had the change started out slow? Had he asked Orihime or Chad or Ishida for help? Had he fought against the inner hollow, or had his desire to get back Rukia allowed him to simply accept his fate? She hoped that wasn't the case. Even now, she knew that once upon a time, Ichigo was a brave man. Once, he fought to protect Rukia. He would sacrifice himself to keep her safe.

And now, her hands traced her stomach. She remembered the morning sickness, and she smiled when she remembered how Ichigo would hold her hair back as she puked into the toilet. Oh, how she would gently blame him for what was happening to her, and while the memories were sweet, she was struck how she didn't miss him. Once, she would have lay in bed, wishing about what had happened was nonexistent. But now, she was rather happy that she had been forced into this. She would have to remember to thank Byakuya, and perhaps, in the future, she would thank Ichigo for introducing her to Hitsugaya.

Her thoughts turned to the icy man, and she found herself smiling. The last thing she remembered as her mind drifted off to sleep was his smell wreathing around her and the sound of his pen scratching against paper drifting against black.

Renji stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed against his chest, and eyes gaping at the sky. No clouds disturbed the sky that waved over his head, and the heat from the sun gently rushed against him. He tried not to sigh audibly, but his mind flickered and gave way. With an irritated growl, he stood and began walking slowly towards Captain Hitsugaya's office.

The sun was beginning to flow over the horizon as Renji neared the office. He had taken slow steps, and wasn't that sure why. Well, he knew _why,_ but he wasn't going to admit that to himself.

Swallowing, he knocked on the door, letting his knuckles brush the wood. He didn't hear anything right away, but then Hitsugaya's voice leaked through the door.

"Enter." Renji opened the door to find Hitsugaya in his original position over the desk, while Rukia was curled on the couch, a blanket tucked over her. Renji smiled when he saw how sweet, how innocent she looked. That strand of hair that always was placidly stuck against her face now draped over one eye.

"May I help you, Renji?" Hitsugaya asked, regarding the Lieutenant with cold eyes. Renji blinked. For a moment he thought he saw something flash in Hitsugaya's eyes, something almost protective. However, it was gone too quickly to be sure.

"I'm here for the dawn patrol. If you don't mind, I'll wake Rukia…" Renji drifted off, feeling uncomfortable. Hitsugaya had a look in his eyes that seemed to pin down the crimson haired Lieutenant. He tried to ignore it, and edged over to Rukia. He gently shook her shoulder, and watched as the girl fluttered her violet eyes open. She looked up at Renji, and he felt a thrill go through him when she smiled sweetly.

"Renji." She greeted him. She pulled herself to a sitting position, and yawned. "Is it dawn patrol already?"

He nodded in reply. "Come on, let's go." He growled. When he looked up, he was relieved to see Hitsugaya was no longer glaring at him, but now had his eyes glued back to his paperwork. Rukia stood, draping the blanket over the back of the couch, and stretched.

"Alright, Captain Hitsugaya." She yawned. "I'm going on dawn patrol." She turned to him, and smiled. Renji was dumbstruck at the sweet way Rukia looked at her Captain. And when he looked up, Renji could have sworn Hitsugaya smiled in return, with a gentle look in his eye.

"Fine." He replied. Renji blinked, then followed the girl out of the room.

They started out silent, navigating the halls with just a gentle comfort. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, feeling a strange searing emotion as he tried to remember the last time she seemed so relaxed since she returned.

Everything about her seemed nearly serene. Her eyes were shut nearly half way, and her violet eyes didn't so much as flicker with uncertainty. Her mouth was a placid line, but her face was plain and easy.

They reached the outside, and both of them turned to see the sun beginning to flow over the horizon. The sky had blissfully began to turn red, orange, and yellow. Rukia leaned forward, putting her arms over the railing, to stare farther into the sky. Renji stood next to her, his body near hers.

She suddenly turned towards him, her eyes glued to the ground, but her body stance rigid. "Renji…" She began.

He stepped closer to her, using his size to make her look up at him. "Rukia." He said quietly. "How are you?"

She smiled up at him, blinking back tears. To anyone else, the question would seem innocent. However, Rukia could sense the real concern behind his voice. She could always sense his real incentive.

"I'm doing okay." She replied, forcing herself to meet his eyes as she tried to tell herself there wasn't any other emotions behind his gaze. "Renji, is there something you want to say to me?"

Renji met her gaze gently. "You're looking great." He whispered. "Considering what happened. It seems as if you've been getting better, but…" He cut off, and looked away, trying hard not to blush. Rukia blinked in confusion, and looked back at him.

"But what?" She encouraged him. She reached out, touching his arm lightly with her fingers, wishing she knew what exactly went through her friend's mind.

He stared back at her. A long time ago, he had let her get away from him. He had blamed Byakuya for taking her away, when it had been his fault, for not asking her to stay. She had left, and he had felt so hollow when she was gone. He thought he would be content with only seeing her now and then, but when she left, she had taken a part of him with her.

He finally looked up, to meet her gaze. "Rukia, what exactly has happened?"

Rukia blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, Renji?" She stammered, despite the fact she already knew what he was asking.

He gazed at her, as if knowing that she knew what he was asking. "You and Captain Hitsugaya." He replied. "I don't know him very well, Rukia, but from what I do know, it's obvious he was acting differently around you."

It took a few moments for Rukia to gather her thoughts. But after a moment, she sighed, and looked back out to the sunrise.

"Renji…" She started softly, and looked at him, unsure of what to say. What really had happened between her and Hitsugaya? What Renji said was true, she did seem closer to Hitsugaya. He was gentler with her. They… they…

"I don't know." She said softly. "I'm not quite sure. But… something did happen. Between us. I'm not quite sure what, though."

Renji stared at her, then smiled. She was staring off into the distance, and barely noticed when he stepped forward. A gasp emitted from her mouth as he gathered her into a crushing hug.

"R… Renji!" Rukia breathed as he pressed her against him. Rukia hesitated, then reached around him, hooking one hand onto his back, and burrowing her face into his shoulder, blinking back tears.

"I'm always there, as a friend." Renji murmured, feeling his heart pound in pain. He had loved her long before she had married Ichigo. And he had always hoped something would happen, so he would be able to hold her like this again. But now, he knew. He knew, and accepted, that he would never be the one she would come to.

He pulled away, and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me." He told her quietly. "I don't quite know what's going on, but I do know that whatever has happened makes you happy. You may not notice, Rukia, but I haven't seen you this relaxed since you fell in love with Ichigo. And I'm there for you, if you ever need me."

He righted himself, and turned, waving goodbye. "I'll finish dawn patrol." He told her gruffly. "Don't worry about it."

Rukia gaped after him, her mind churning at his words. Her limbs felt light and squishy, and didn't trust herself to move them. She turned back to the sky, watching as the sky was set aflame.

She almost felt her heart wrenching as Renji walked away, and tears filled her eyes as she watched him until the last strand of his crimson hair had disappeared. She wondered… if she had never met Ichigo, who she had fallen in love with him?

She sighed, turning back to the sky. That wasn't a question she could answer. It wasn't as if she didn't know about his feelings toward her. She had always known. The hurt had been almost unbearable when he had told her to go with the Kuchiki family. She had almost felt lost. However, now she was turning him away.

Her eyes followed the traces of the sky, as it began to darken into a blue. She felt as if she wanted to love Renji, but she couldn't. She wished she could make him happy, and felt herself being torn about how she had twisted his life. She could only hope he would one day find someone who would fill the cracks in his life she couldn't, and make him happy.

Something warm touched her hand, and she flinched with surprise. She turned to see Captain Hitsugaya standing beside her. His light touch changed as his hand wrapped around her fingers.

She turned back to the sky, but leaned into him, and wondered if she would mind if anyone saw them together like this. After a moment of contemplating, she realized she didn't really give a damn if anyone saw them or not.

He suddenly turned towards her, meeting her gaze with his deep turquoise eyes. "Tell me." He murmured. "Why are you alone? I would think you would have the sense to stay with Renji until you completed dawn patrol. I actually promised your brother I'd be with you all the time, and he wouldn't be happy if I sent you off with just Renji, let alone if he learned you were alone."

Rukia looked down. Even now, she could feel the way Hitsugaya began to turn protective. She suddenly felt idiotic as she realized she wasn't scared for herself, but for Renji.

She looked back at him, and tried to smile reassuringly. "Renji said he would finish dawn patrol by himself. He said…"

She was cut off when Hitsugaya's grip tightened on her hand. "That doesn't matter." He hissed. "You should have come back to the office. What would I do if Ichigo suddenly appeared, and there was no one around to protect you?"

Rukia suddenly felt annoyed, and tried to pull back. However, his grip only tightened. "I don't need protection!" Rukia growled, despite the fact she knew that wasn't exactly true. "I can take care of myself!"

Hitsugaya's turquoise eyes blazed. "Don't put yourself as risk like that, Kuchiki!" He snapped. "What would you do against Ichigo? Even if you could defeat him, could you bring yourself to do that?"

Rukia inhaled sharply as she met his cold gaze. What he said was frighteningly true. Despite how he was now… would she ever be able to kill Ichigo? She felt as if she wanted to say yes, but something told her no. She looked down, knowing the answer.

He obviously knew the answer as well. He leaned closer to her. "You wouldn't be able to." He hissed. "That's why you can't be left alone. Not until this passes. What would I do if you got taken away? It's not like I could look for you with Captain Kuchiki and Renji beating me down."

"I suppose that's true." She smiled. However, something flickered beneath her smile, and he could sense it. It was reluctance. She didn't want to have to be protected. Either that, or once again, she was blaming herself for what had happened.

"Come on." He said softly, grabbing her hand, and towed her back to the office. She followed him without any protest. As they entered the office, he let go of her hand, but suddenly her grip tightened.

He turned back to her, looking at the Lieutenant in surprise. She had her eyes glued to the floor, but he could tell she was crying.

"Rukia…" He whispered, and leaned forward, taking her face in his hands. "What's wrong? Did Renji say something?"

She shook her head, but Hitsugaya could tell she was lying. He pressed his palms to her cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

"Listen to me." He said quietly. "A lot has happened between you and Renji, but I have never seen two closer friends. Whatever happens, he will understand."

Rukia looked back up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya." She murmured as she pressed her forehead to his, welcoming all that was him.

* * *

A fluffy chapter. Don't worry. Next chapter, I'll have some more tricky things going on, for all you action lovers. And don't be too worried if I don't update very quickly. When summer comes, I'll have more time.

Review, por favor!


	8. Five Lives

Perhaps I'll get these chapters over soon so people won't get mad at me. I don't mean it personally, I swear.

Oh, and by the way, some of the characters may seem OOC just a teeny tiny bit. They might have been like that last chapter too, so I'm sorry for not warning you about that.

And one more thing, I haven't really read any of the Bleach manga, nor have I seen all the episodes, so if Hichigo/Ichigo seems a bit off… well… sucks for me.

Enjoy!

* * *

Byakuya's eyes stared forward with a look of loathing at the wall before him. He didn't move, simply glared. He had done this countless times, and found himself in a thick train of thought. It was the only way to cope through all the times Unohana had forced him to stay in bed.

Well, perhaps it might have been a good thing. As soon as he was allowed out of this hospital, he would tear apart Soul Society, looking for Ichigo. He would annihilate him for what the bastard had done to his sister.

A knock on the door caused his eyes to waver slightly, but his face remained unchanged. He didn't say anything, nor even look at the door, as the petite Soul Reaper entered.

He felt her approach slowly, as if she was wary of him. Hell, she was wary of him. Nobody really wanted to be around Byakuya when he was bed ridden.

"Brother." Rukia began with a respectable tone. "How are you feeling?" She asked him.

His eyes moved to hers momentarily, then they moved back to the wall, his eyes calm.

"Where is Captain Hitsugaya?" He implored, evading her question. Rukia opened her mouth to answer, but then the sound of Hitsugaya's shoes hitting the floor as he walked in interrupted her.

"I was outside." He told Captain Kuchiki. "I didn't know if you wanted me in here or not."

Once again, Byakuya didn't reply, simply continued to stare forward. Rukia made a strange grunting noise, and made her way to the side of Byakuya's bed. A chair was right next to the bed, and Rukia sat next to him.

Hitsugaya watched her as she apparently grieved for her wounded brother. Hitsugaya felt his heart wrench when he saw her hands clenching against her robes and her eyes staring at the loathing man. No doubt blaming herself.

He wished he could wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but instead, he leaned his back against the wall, and crossed his arms, silently damning Ichigo for the thousandth time.

If anybody had been looking at Hitsugaya they would have seen his eyes darken in fury. However, neither Rukia nor Byakuya really noticed the drop of temperature, but they didn't. Instead, Isane Kotetsu, the Lieutenant of the 4th squad underneath Unohana, who was currently in the other room, looked up as goose bumps began to prickle at her arms. _What the hell...?_ She silently asked herself.

They sat silently for nearly ten minutes before Rukia opened her mouth, preparing herself to say something.

"Brother." Rukia muttered, trying to keep her voice steady. Hitsugaya watched her, feeling something protective come over him as he saw how her hands clenched her clothes so hard her knuckles turned white. Damn that Kurosaki bastard…

"I'm sorry… brother." She whispered shakily. "I know, this is all my fault. I'm sorry you were so wounded. I didn't think…"

She cut off and let out a sound halfway between a gasp and a grunt as Byakuya reached forward and wrapped her hand in his. He didn't say anything, nor did he look at her, he simply let his touch comfort her.

She smiled, and Hitsugaya felt something purr in his chest. She had the sweetest smile, and she didn't deserve to always be so guilt ridden. The way her eyes lit up almost made Hitsugaya smile as he leaned his head back against the wall, closed his eyes, and began daydreaming about strangling Ichigo until that mask on his face exploded.

* * *

The sky was peaceful as the gentle clouds gleamed across the blue depth. Yet, no admiration shone for the beauty underneath the forest.

He sat on the branch of a tree, elbows on his knees, amber eyes glaring, as he attempted to scheme, something that had never been his strong point. He was used to running into a battle. The taste of blood made him shiver as his blade clashed with his enemy's. He always had other people for that scheming stuff.

After a few moments of attempted scheming, he snorted, and leaned backwards. Screw it. He never tried strategic plans before, why start now? There was no point if you were stronger than practically all the Captains. There were only a few that could oppose him, and he dealt with one of them with a surprise attack. Well, that sort of counted as a scheme, didn't it?

Images flashed through his head, and he hissed. Those damn Captains. If there were only a couple of them, he would have dealt with them, no problem. Unfortunately, they were smart enough to attack him at the same time, and it hadn't been easy to escape. The thought that Ichigo had had to escape was disgusting enough.

Not only was that a problem to his self esteem, but now the damned 'real' Ichigo was fighting for his body back, which was as annoying as a tick you couldn't ever find. He wished he could just kill him, but he was proving to be a challenge.

_Hm, no matter._ He said in a slippery voice. _I'll beat him into submission soon. Hopefully he'll become dormant again. He's being so annoying, with his hopes of glory. If Rukia was every anybody's, she was mine. You might as well say she fell in love with me, since I was always being Ichigo's superior, no matter how much he denies it.\_

And then there was Hitsugaya. Damned boy. He wished he could just grab the white haired nuisance by his face and rip his head off. He could do it right in front of Rukia too. Show her that he was the boss. Once he set his eyes on something, it didn't escape. Those were the rules.

So many problems, leading to one goal. Rukia. His love, his life.

The transformation had been quick. Ichigo was so shocked by what had happened, it wasn't hard to subdue him. However, now he was fighting back. His inside battle was raging, but he wasn't very worried. Like that punk could win.

He laughed at Ichigo's sorry attempts. As if he didn't know that was going to happen. He had gotten another women pregnant, and expected that Rukia would just forgive him. Well, in truth, he hadn't been expecting her to run away either. Bring her big brother to the rescue. Man, that Byakuya was an annoying little bitch.

He grinned sadistically as he leaned back. He remembered when they went to save Rukia from her execution. She hadn't wanted him to save her then either.

_She hadn't wanted to be saved for a completely different reason, you ass! _Ichigo's voice suddenly filled him. He hissed, and felt the two blades clashing together. Damn it, if Ichigo could put his voice in his head…

Oh, what was he worrying about? They were both after the same goal, right? Perhaps it was Ichigo's sway, but he had fallen for Rukia just as hard as him, and he would get her back. And he would destroy the little nuisance.

He looked down. His wounds were basically healed. Well, it wasn't as if they had been that severe in the first place. Still, he would kick that Captain Soi Fon's ass. Maybe he would do that before he stole Rukia. But then again, there was that problem of destroying Hitsugaya…

He grunted, and swung himself out of the tree. _I'm scheming again. _He snarled. He wouldn't do that. He'd simply wait and watch for his chance. He had plenty of time.

* * *

The moon was well into the sky as Hitsugaya and Rukia headed to the Kuchiki mansion. She seemed tired, but Hitsugaya was pissed off.

His hand ached from speed writing since he had stood in the hospital for more than two hours. And it was even more irritating because he was getting too soft to order Rukia to hurry. Instead, he stood there in a way that Hitsugaya would describe as patient. Others would say the fact that Hitsugaya was drumming his fingers and muttering curses to himself wasn't really patient. But, nobody at that time had particularly wanted a death wish, so they left it alone.

Not only that, but Byakuya had spoken to Hitsugaya as if he was some untrustworthy tick, and it infuriated the already infuriated Captain. And now, both Hitsugaya's hand and reputation were at risk of being permanently damaged.

Despite this, Rukia had to stop herself from breaking into spontaneous giggles as Hitsugaya's eyebrows knitted together in irritation and his eyes smoldered.

Finally, although she was biting her lip to stop herself, a spluttering sound escaped past her lips. Hitsugaya cast her a dangerous glare, but she wasn't intimidated. Instead, she clasped her hand over her mouth to hide her wild grin, and disguised her laughing as choking coughs. Despite himself, Hitsugaya couldn't help but smile gently in return.

"You've got a problem, Rukia?" He teased playfully. She felt herself shivering at the easy tone his voice had taken on. She smiled in return.

"You seem a little stressed, Hitsugaya." She bantered in return. "You're not taking my brother's words personally, are you?"

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. If they were in public, he would have openly scolded her about referring to him without his title as 'Captain.' However, now, it didn't seem to matter that much. In fact, it almost made him smile to be referred to that way.

They continued on silently, Rukia trying hard not to giggle, and Hitsugaya casting stoic glances with a soft laughter behind them.

The night was quiet, with the moon glaring brightly. Yet, Hitsugaya couldn't help but feel as if something were amiss. As if something were silently warning him, the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. Unconsciously, he drew closer to Rukia, as if trying to shield her, his turquoise eyes dashing around, looking for anything out of place.

As if the wind itself were biting him, Hitsugaya turned on a whim, drawing his sword. Immediately, the clashing of metal against metal grained against their ears as Ichigo pressed his sword against Hitsugaya's, grinning wickedly.

"There you are, whitey. I've been looking for you." He chided. "I seem to need something to fight, perhaps to prove that Rukia's mine, and not yours."

Hitsugaya pressed back against his enemy, eyes seething hatred. "You bastard!" He spat. "Rukia doesn't belong to anyone! So get out of here!" He withdrew from Ichigo and slashed forward. The orange haired man sprang backwards, grinning wickedly.

"Do you really want to fight me, boy?" He hissed in a slippery voice. "I won't just kill you, Toshiro, I'll _slaughter _you!"

Hitsugaya braced himself. "I dare you to make a move." He snarled, his voice dripping with loathing.

Ichigo shot forward, weapon at ready, with a disgusting sneer on his face. He slashed, parried, and struck, each movement intent on killing the Captain.

Despite the battle, Hitsugaya felt elated. He struck at the man's head, only to have his blade blocked by his. They snarled each other as the weapons struck each other, with the sound of grinding metal drenching the streets.

Rukia watched in amazement, transfixed by the screeching sounds. No words were exchanged, only heavy blows, each man intent on killing the other.

_Because of me. _She hissed, wrapping her arms around her stomach, tears rolling from her eyes. _Because of me, Ichigo has been taken over by his hollow… and now Hitsugaya is fighting for me. Why do I screw everything up!_

She sat, looking helpless, as they fought. Her eyes were trained on Hitsugaya's turquoise eyes. How many times had she only seen an icy barrier, and how many times had he proved that wrong with a soft smile or a glint of warmth?

_And how much, _she wondered to herself, _have I changed Ichigo's fate? I crashed into his life, and twisted his being. If I hadn't done that, he wouldn't have had to put his life in danger. If I hadn't done that, he would be at his own home, looking after his sisters, and with no worries about me or anyone else. But I… I screwed everything up. I fell in love with him, and changed everything. How could I even be mad at him for cheating? That is my punishment. He rescued me a long time ago, now I must rescue him._

"Stop!" She howled, but her scream fell upon deaf ears as Ichigo readied a final attack and Hitsugaya launched into his bankai.

"Please!" This time, her voice was a near silent sob. She needed them to stop. If they kept fighting like this, one of them would die.

It was this realization that made her look up, and question herself. _I vowed I would never fall in love again._ She hissed. _But I've broken that vow. I've fallen for that numbskull white-haired man, just as hard, if not harder, then I did for Ichigo. I will never be able to trust him like I did before, but I do know that he's in there, fighting against his hollow self. For me. The least I could do is help._

* * *

The wind was silent, but it carried that groans of clashing swords and quiet howls of hatred upon it. These sounds fell upon Captain Kuchiki's ears. He blinked in disbelief. Ichigo was fighting against Hitsugaya. But where was Rukia? And how come nobody sensed Ichigo's spiritual pressure before?

His first night out of the infirmary, and he was being called back into battle. He leapt across building, feeling the night air reenergize his body which had been so relaxed. Now, he was tense as his hand gripped his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white. Damn, if Ichigo had lay even one find upon his sister, he would destroy the boy.

At that moment, if anybody stepped in Byakuya's way, he would have killed them and not even thought twice about it. Yet, as he raced towards the battle, he felt a strange sensation prickling at his arms. Something told him he wasn't racing that way to kill.  
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If anybody asked Retsu Unohana, she would have gladly told them everything. She would have told them about her pent up frustrations at dumb soul reapers who seemed happy at the idea of throwing away their lives. She would also tell them about how regretful she truly was at the fact she couldn't fight side by side those dumb soul reapers and make sure they didn't get themselves killed.

But nobody asked Retsu, so she didn't tell them. However, if anybody had asked her on that particular night, she would have told them to keep a sharp eye. Retsu couldn't see the future, nor did she have ESP of any kind, but something told her to be prepared. While the rest of the people who worked in the hospital were going home, including her subordinate, Isane, Retsu stayed. For some reason, whenever she looked out the window, an uneasy feeling tickled her. She just knew she would be needed, and she was content to wait.

And for some strange reason, she couldn't help but feel that Byakuya would be back in the hospital before long. Dumb soul reapers.

The sound of metal slicing deep into flesh seared the ears of the battling men. Ichigo's grin faltered slightly, as Hitsugaya's eyes widened and a painful cry settled on his lips, but never escaped.

At that moment, Byakuya arrived, eyes blazing at the sight of his sister faltering.

The blade of Ichigo's sword pierced the girl's right arm, while Hitsugaya had moved as fast as he could, and avoided stabbing her in the heart. Instead, his weapon was buried in her shoulder.

Blood soaked the ground as the air suddenly turned frigid. The absolute stillness was disturbed as Byakuya paced forward, eyes placid. He gripped both of the blades that had gored the girl, and gently removed them from her body. Instantly, the already small girl seemed to diminish, and she nearly dropped to the ground, however Byakuya caught her with one arm.

He straightened up, and sent Ichigo such a frosty glance that even the hollow man shivered. Byakuya turned towards Hitsugaya, and offered Rukia to the stunned man.

In an instant, he understood. He strode forward, and picked Rukia up in his arms, trying not to breathe hard. She was so small and pale. He pressed her firmly to his body, and raced away. _Don't worry, Rukia._ He hissed silently. _You won't die. You nor your child._

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Not that far away, a man with spiky black hair confronted a dumbfounded boy who was once a soul reaper. His blade wasn't raised, but the pure sneer on his face spoke all words, as he dared the once honorable man to attack his once lover's brother. The lover who was now stabbed on two parts of her body.

Towards the horizon, a Captain nearly exploded into the infirmary, where a women who was certain she had just experienced a case of ESP was ready to heal a small girl who looked as if she could be blown away by the wind.

And as five people fought for lives which might not have been their own, the sun began to raise itself over the horizon, washing the sky with blood.  
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Hehehe, second/third to last chapter. I'm not that mean that I'll just end it now. I promise I won't leave it on a huge cliffhanger for very long. You know, unless I forget. That's always a possibility. :)

I hope you guys enjoyed it, even if it were a bit shorter then some of my other chapters. I thought it was pretty intense.

Please review!


	9. Truth

Hehe, I'm trying to get this done A.S.A.P. so I can really focus on my Within The Shadow story… sorry… it's not a Hitsugaya/Rukia pairing. It's an Ashido/Rukia pairing. May seem weird to some people, but for some reason I just think they look cute together. :)

Oh, and BTW, if anybody is wondering why Rukia seems so moody, well, she's pregnant, and just got stabbed and betrayed by her husband. She's going through a difficult time. I mean, I would cry. If you didn't cry, then I'd be worried about you.

Ahem, well. I'm going to move on. You ready for this awesomeness?

Heehee, enjoy!  
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Turquoise eyes stared in a glaze at the glowing light emanating from in front of him. The kind women who sat in front of him had a look of constant worry, which was still normal. Her hands were upon a small girl, slowly healing her nearly mortal wounds.

He was completely numb to the world around him. He couldn't rivet his eyes from that girl's face. Her normally red cheeks were now pale with loss of blood. He felt his hands clenching and unclenching. How would he live with himself if she was really injured? How could he ever apologize to her? And if she lost the baby…

He buried his face in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. Retsu cast the Captain a glance, feeling regret and sorrow against her soul. She wished she could help him, offer any solace to ease his burden, however that wouldn't happen. The only thing that could fix a tattered heart was the one who had saved it in the first place. And in this case, it was Rukia Kuchiki.

She focused her eyes back down towards the sleeping girl. Her skin, which was sagging before, was beginning to retain some of its luster. Retsu could only hope that Rukia could find the strength inside of her to nurture her child. If Rukia wasn't strong enough to do it, well, there wasn't much Retsu could do to change that.

Despite that, she was certain Rukia would live. Despite the fact she had practically committed suicide, the girl had an incredible will to live. To herself, Retsu wondered whether she had picked that up from Ichigo.

She sighed mentally, wondering what it was that drove everybody around her to do such strange, dumb things. Personally, she wasn't what motivated people around her. She would fight to save any life she could, and would always try to make sure everybody was safe. However, it was when people started running around and doing crazy things and ended up in the hospital that made Retsu sigh in frustration. They were adults with powerful swords and incredible strength, and the sense of children.

She looked out the window, to where the sun was beginning to rise. She practically shivered when she remembered seeing how the sky looked as if it were drenched in blood. Now the edge of the sky was a crispy blue, streaked with greens and yellows. Not as pretty, but definitely not as blood chilling. She practically shuddered when she remembered how she had nearly felt it when Rukia was being stabbed, her bone chilling sadness. Something had made Retsu stay when everybody else had left, and now she knew why. She was here for a dying noble and a grieving Captain.

The changing of Byakuya's spiritual pressure stroked Retsu. Sometimes she wanted to smack some sense into the man, as if that would help. He wasn't a dumb man, but he was as stubborn as a mule, and with about as much sense as one. _Please, Captain Kuchiki. _Retsu growled. _I've been healing one Kuchiki for a long time now. If you come in dead too, I'm going to go insane.  
______________________________________________________________________________________

Her eyes were shut firmly. She couldn't open them, but she could hear. It was as if her hearing had suddenly become ten times more powerful. She could hear a women over her, and although she wasn't saying anything, Rukia could hear the regretful growls that rolled off her tongue.

But she wasn't concerned about that. Retsu would do all she could to save Rukia. No, she was focused on another sound that seemed to glitter. She could feel the iciness of his presence, but nothing was more comforting nor warmer to her. She wanted to touch him, to tell him it was okay. But most of all, she wanted to tell him she loved him. She wanted to tell him that none of this was his fault. All he did was fight to protect her, and she had tried to stop it. But now, she was causing him pain again.

She wished she could speak, but she couldn't move herself. She tried to open her mouth, but she was fading into black. She wished she could speak to Hitsugaya. But not only that, she needed to talk to Ichigo. She needed to save him. To bring him out of what he had become. He was a good man, she knew that. And one day, he would become the best husband to a women who could keep him absolutely fulfilled. Rukia hadn't known before why he had done that, but now she would have to remember to thank him. If he hadn't of done that, she would have never met Hitsugaya.

_I'll thank him._ She thought to herself. _When I heal, I'll thank him. And I'll save him. It's the least I could do. I'll apologize to everyone. To my brother, to Ichigo, but especially to Hitsugaya…  
______________________________________________________________________________________

Byakuya's eyes countered Ichigo's glare as they stared at each other. Ichigo's sword was still drawn, with blood still dripping from the point. Yet, if the monster really even noticed what had happened, his face didn't show it. Instead, he simply gawped at the calm Byakuya, with a sneer plastered onto his mouth.

If Byakuya was intimidated, he didn't show it. Instead, he gawped calmly back at the pissed off Ichigo. He didn't even bother to grip his sword. Ichigo hissed, and spat out blood.

"What do you want, you bastard?" He snarled. "Let me go see Rukia!"

Byakuya simply looked back at Ichigo. "You want to see her?" He murmured. "Do you think she'll forgive you? You've hurt her so much, and now you've physically attacked her. What will she think?"

"Bullshit." Ichigo retorted, bending down and gripping his sword with a new intensity. "Hitsugaya stabbed her too. What will she think of that? Maybe she'll look up to her wonderful older brother."

"Keep your voice down, fool." Byakuya hissed. "Or maybe you'd like to end up worse than last time."

"Why would you care?" Ichigo demanded. "I thought you would like to kill me because of what I did. But you haven't even drawn your sword. Are you getting soft?"

A small smirk played the edges of Byakuya's lips. He strode closer to Ichigo, eyes calm. "You're wrong." He said simply. "You didn't do that. Ichigo did. You may be part of Ichigo, but you didn't do any of that. So if I killed you, that would be pointless."

Byakuya halted, only a few feet from Ichigo. "Ichigo, look at yourself." He scoffed. "The man I once knew would fight for what he believed in. For a while, I practically believed you had transformed from a boy into a man fit for my sister, but now I see otherwise. Because, if you were the real Ichigo, you wouldn't hide behind that stupid mask. Instead, the real you would own up to your crimes and fight me. And that's because the Ichigo I knew would never lose himself in such a way, especially if he was fighting for something he loved."

Inside Ichigo, a war raged, close to being finished. Ichigo smirked. "That old Byakuya. He is getting soft."

Swords clashed, and the sight Byakuya witnessed was nothing less of bone chilling, and only the calm Byakuya could watch with a straight face as Ichigo convulsed. His body was bending in ways that he was certain weren't natural.

"Getting weak, Ichigo?" Byakuya leered. "It's pathetic. I should have killed you long ago, when you had first asked for my sister's hand in marriage."

Ichigo snarled at Byakuya. Too much pain racked his body to form words. Between Byakuya spitting insults and Ichigo clashing to win back his body, he felt as if his soul was being torn into pieces.

"Die." Ichigo snarled, slamming his sword into his enemy's chest. The hollow shrieked in pain, while muttering deadly insults.

"You'll never be rid of me." It hissed as it began to disappear. "I'll kill you, and this will be mine. You can't keep me here forever, you need me."

"Shut up." Ichigo muttered, as the screams of the hollow faded into black at the back of his mind.

Byakuya watched, hand finally gripping his sword, as the hollow mask broke away in bits, leaving behinds the boy's face which had been hidden for so long. His eyes blinked as the rising sun skinned his amber eyes, setting his orange hair on fire.

He blinked open his eyes as he staggered onto all fours, breathing heavily. Byakuya looked down at him, as if he were a pesky tic instead of the man who had nearly murdered so many people.

"Still so pathetic." Byakuya sniffed. "Here, I was hoping to get a good fight in, I believe you're past a good beating."

Ichigo looked up at Byakuya, reveling in the ability to meet the man's gaze without feeling a hatred tinged with contempt. In his hollow form, the only person he was able to look out and feel respect for was Rukia.

With a grunt, the boy pushed himself to his feet, allowing the pure feeling of the sun so soak his skin and glint off his face. The greens and yellows that had decorated the blue now were pure blue, splotched with streaks of clouds. It would be a nice day, and Ichigo couldn't help but instinctively want to spend it with someone he hadn't been able to see for real in a long time.

"Tell me, Byakuya." Ichigo growled. "What's in it for you?"

The man growled mentally. "I don't know what you're talking about boy. And it's Captain Kuchiki."

"Yeah, whatever." Ichigo shrugged, waving it away. "What I mean is, why did you fight to get me back? I thought you'd be obligated to kill me."

"You're assuming I did that for you." Byakuya replied. "But I didn't. So don't think you can get away with anything. You still have to deal with the rest of the Soul Society."

With that, the man turned and walked away, looking as stolid as ever, no cuts nor bruises on his now perfectly healed body. Ichigo watched him walk away, knowing who he had to find.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Towards the center of the Soul Society, Captain Yamamoto looked deeply into the eyes of the man who was talking.

"You do understand what you're asking, right?" He growled. "That man has injured most of the captains, including yourself, Captain Kuchiki. If anything, I would think you would request to execute this man yourself, because of your own personal involvement."

"I have no use killing a boy who put up a tiny fuss." Byakuya countered just as smoothly. "If you wish to kill him, than do. However, he has shown to be a ready fighter, and we are indebted to him helping Soul Society through the Aizen incident."

Yamamoto shut his eyes, thinking hard. The time ticked by as the Captain Commander thought, but Byakuya stood patiently, eyes trained to his superior.

Finally, the elderly man opened his eyes. "Alright, Captain Kuchiki." He decided. "We will go with what you have said. We are truly indebted to Ichigo, but now we will repay that debt. I will give him today and tonight to stay in Soul Society for recuperation. Tomorrow at dawn, he will be sent home."

Byakuya nodded. "I will tell him that."

"One more thing, Captain Kuchiki." Yamamoto said. "As for Rukia, she must choose where she wants to be. If she wishes to return to the world of the living to stay with Ichigo, she may, but she cannot return here. You may be allowed to visit here, but she will have given up her rights as a Soul Reaper.

"If she decides to stay, then she may not carry on a romantic relationship with Ichigo. Tell her she must choose by the dawn of tomorrow. You are dismissed."

Emotionless, Byakuya turned and stalked out of the door, wondering what motivated him to do things like that. _There I was, asking the Captain Commander to forgive Ichigo. If that brat even looks at me the wrong way after this, I'll skewer him alive, I don't care what anybody says._

He walked towards the infirmary, where he could feel the temperature flux dangerously. He knew Hitsugaya wouldn't have left the girl's side, but not because he was afraid of Byakuya. They might have assumed he hadn't noticed, but of course he had. Byakuya was quiet, but he was extremely observant. He had seen the glances between the two. Hitsugaya wasn't exactly discreet at the protective way he looked at Rukia, and Rukia was just a bad actor all together.

* * *

Retsu pulled her hands away from the bloodstained girl, and turned her attentive gaze towards Hitsugaya. The normally composed Captain looked like a shadow of himself. His white hair had seemed to lose much of its luster, and his usual bright, intense eyes were now shallow with worry. He barely seemed to notice Unohana as she stood.

"Captain Hitsugaya." She called softly. He looked up, training his eyes into hers. She tried not to smile as his whole being seemed to lighten with hope.

"Will she be okay?" Hitsugaya prompted. "And what about the baby?"

"She'll be fine, Captain Hitsugaya." Retsu replied. "She was stabbed in parts that were barely fatal, and overall she didn't lose that much blood. Expect her to wake up soon, and after a brief check over, she'll be released."

He hadn't realized, but Hitsugaya had been holding his breath in anticipation. Now, he let the air escape with a large whoosh of air. However, he immediately tensed up. "And what about her child?" He asked.

Unohana held him in her steady gaze. "That depends on Rukia." She replied. "The girl has an incredible will to live, and I expect the child will be fine. Again, I'll confirm it when she wakes up. Will you stay with her, Captain Hitsugaya?"

He didn't hesitate to nod. "Yes. I'll call you when she wakes up. Thank you so much, Captain Unohana."

She sighed in reply and strode towards the door. For a moment she hesitated, trying to feel if there was another presence on the other side of the door. Finally deciding there was none, she exited, leaving the grieving Captain and a wounded girl.  
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Renji gawped at the sight of a sane Ichigo in front of him. He had never seen a sorrier sight than that of a man who Renji thought was one of the strongest guys he knew weeping unshed tears.

"Can you help me?" Ichigo muttered, as if it were killing him. Renji hesitated for a moment, unsure on what was the best. Finally, he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Yes. Come with me, we'll find her." Renji turned and led the way, Ichigo following at a few paces back.

Renji turned his gaze towards the sky. He had wanted to kill Ichigo before, but now he could hardly stand looking at the pitiful man. He knew there would be no rest until Ichigo saw Rukia. Even if she rejected him, he just needed to see her one more time.

And as they walked towards the large hospital, Renji didn't have the heart to tell him of the growing companionship between Rukia and Hitsugaya. He would need to find out for himself, just as Renji had.  
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Hitsugaya's eyes were glued to Rukia's face. Her complexion had gained back its luster, and her breathing had became normal.

Silently, he moved to the chair Retsu had been sitting in, next to the bed. He reached his hand down and gripped hers, feeling a breath of relief when he felt the warmth of her body was returning.

Rukia stirred as something gripped her hand. She recognized that touch, so icy cold, but so welcoming. Darkness had consumed her mind, but now she was recovering.

Hitsugaya felt his breath catch in his throat as the girl's eyes blinked open, beautiful and glinting dark sapphire.

Her heart jumped when she saw him looking down at her, relief etched over the contours of his face as he squeezed his hand tighter against hers. "You awoke earlier than we expected." He whispered. Rukia smiled.

"I thought I felt something familiar." She murmured, gripping his hand tighter, not wanting him to let go. "I don't even feel tired, though. Did Captain Unohana heal me?"

Hitsugaya nodded, then his eyebrows furrowed. Rukia sighed mentally. She may love the man, but she would have stayed asleep for a little bit longer if she had known she was going to get a lecture.

As expected, Hitsuugaya growled. "You scared us all to death, Kuchiki." Rukia shifted. Hitsugaya only called her Kuchiki when he meant to be serious. "What the hell were you thinking? We could have killed you!"

Rukia turned her gaze away from the Captain and to the outside. "I had to do it." She said softly. "I… I didn't want either of you to die."

"God damn it, Rukia!" Hitsugaya snapped, making the girl shiver. He forced himself to let go of her hand, otherwise he would have broken the bones from squeezing it too tight. He gripped the side of the bed, as the sky began to turn ominously gray.

"When will you understand?" He barked. "You're in no condition to do dumb things like that! What would you have done if your baby was killed, huh? I swear Rukia, if you do that again…" Hitsugaya trailed off, too furious to speak.

Rukia gulped nervously as she looked outside. It was snowing, on what was supposed to be a clear day. She was certain that he wouldn't hurt her, but it pained her soul to see him so angry and upset because of something she did.

"Listen." She said softly, placing one of her hands upon his. "I'm so sorry, Hitsugaya. I didn't mean to worry you. I just… I couldn't sit by and watch you fight for me, to get hurt for me. I don't deserve that."

Hitsugaya smiled, and outside it began to rain. He placed a hand on the side of her face, cradling her cheek in his palm. "Stupid girl." He smirked. He leaned down, and kissed her softly, embracing the fact she was truly alive.

A knock on the door interrupted the two. Hitsugaya moved away, and smiled at her. "I have to get Retsu, I promised to tell her when you woke up. I'll be back in a moment."

Hitsugaya opened the door, and was greeted by a grinning red headed man. Instantly, Hitsugaya scowled.

"Hey, Captain!" Renji grinned. "I heard what happened! I'm here to visit Rukia. Oh, and look who else is here? You'll never guess who talked him out of his hollow form!"

Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed when he saw Ichigo in front of him. The guilty man dropped his gaze, and clenched his fists. The temperature dropped as it began to snow outside.

Renji was still rambling. "It was Captain Kuchiki! Isn't that weird? Anyway, we were wondering if we could visit Rukia. Is that okay? Hey, did it just get colder?"

"No." Hitsugaya said icily. "And visit her if you want. It's not like she belongs to me." He swept down the halls without another word, cursing Ichigo. _If you make her cry, Kurosaki, I'll finish what you started._

Inside the room, Rukia smiled as she saw her oldest friend and one time husband enter. She watched them with a placid gaze.

"Hey, Rukia!" Renji boomed. "You're not too banged up, are you? You look just fine!"

"Jeez, can you talk louder?" Rukia bantered. "And no, I'm not that banged up, because Captain Unohana is a marvelous healer. She took care of me herself."

"Good old Unohana." Renji sighed. "Hey, I think Ichigo wants to talk to you. I'll go wait outside. I expect us to talk later, alright, Rukia?"

She sighed. "Alright, Renji. Now get out of here, you weirdo." Renji grinned and winked, then left, leaving a shuffling Ichigo.

He stepped up to her bed and lowered himself into the chair timidly as Rukia pulled herself into a sitting up position. She forced herself to stare into his face.

"Listen, Rukia." He began. "There's nothing in the world I can or should say to make you forgive me, and I don't expect you to. All I wanted you to know was that I love you. I don't know why I did that, you deserve so much more. And I want to prove to you that I can give you more." He looked up at her, hope in his eyes. "I've been given today and tonight to stay here, and I must return tomorrow at dawn. Not only that, but Yamamoto has said that you must choose either to forfeit your Soul Reaper abilities and live with me, or to stay in Soul Society, where you may visit, but we can't have a romantic relationship."

He paused as Rukia digested the words. She bit her lip, fighting back tears. She rested her hands on her protruding stomach, feeling for the child inside. It responded with a kick.

He stared hard at her. "Please, Rukia." He said softly. "It isn't fair of me to do this, but I must. Please. Will you come back with me?"

Rukia didn't respond directly. She had to wait and regain her composure, fighting hard not to let her voice be hoarse and refused tears to slide down her cheeks.

"I've forgiven you, Ichigo." She whispered. "But you've caused me this pain. And I'm sorry, for I should have stayed and talked to you about what had happened instead of rushing away. I'm sorry I made you do that, but while I've been here, other things have happened…" She cut off as she remembered the feeling of Hitsugaya's lips against hers. His protective voice and comforting scent would writhe around her, and she couldn't refuse him.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo." She murmured. "I… I loved you so much, and I could never understand how you did that to me. I have many regrets, but one of my largest is that my child will not know his real father. I can't go with you, Ichigo."

Ichigo opened his mouth, ready to argue, certain he could win her over, than stopped. She didn't want him to win her over. And how could he blame her? He wouldn't.

He stood up, bent down, and kissed the top of her head gently. "I'm sorry, Rukia." He whispered. "I love you."

She shivered, but didn't answer. He turned and left, fighting to look back.

Ichigo stepped out of the room and nearly crashed into Hitsugaya and Retsu coming down the hallway. Renji had disappeared.

Hitsugaya kept his eyes downward and walked past Ichigo without even glancing his way. Retsu blinked in confusion, but didn't argue as the orange haired man swept down the hallways, which was the last Retsu ever saw of him.

Hitsugaya pushed into Rukia's room, and was instantly at the girl's side as she silently shed tears. He sat at the edge of her bed, eyes sparkling with worry, as Retsu loitered at the doorway.

He pressed the back of his hand to her cheek, and she flinched, as if she had barely noticed his presence. She turned to look at him, eyes wading tears.

"I refused him." She said softly. "I told Ichigo I wouldn't go back to the real world with him. But… was that the smart thing to do?"

Hitsugaya looked gently at her. "You need to do what your heart tells you, Rukia. You never let it stop you before."

She smiled through her tears, and turned her gaze upon her hands. "So, Captain Unohana, is there something you wanted? I… I don't want to keep you waiting."

The gentle Captain stepped through the doors, understanding in her gaze. She had never really seen Hitsugaya being so gentle, especially with Rukia, who he hadn't really known before. She would never mind waiting for them.

"Yes, I just need to perform a quick check up. Captain Hitsugaya, it would be best if you waited outside. Is that a problem?" She addressed the two. Hitsugaya shook his head, and exited the room, leaving a rather subdued Rukia.

"This'll be fast." Retsu addressed Rukia. "Do you feel faint at all? Any parts on your body that hurts? You don't look pale, and your skin feels normal temperature. What about the child? Is there any reason you would think of that would put it at risk?"

Rukia shook her head to all these questions, and rested one of her hands on her stomach. "I felt it kick earlier." She replied. "I think it's just fine."

Retsu nodded. "That's good. I'll release you, but I want you to come back immediately if you feel any pain or anything concerns you. Is that understood?"

Rukia nodded, thanking Retsu deeply as she was allowed out of the room, feeling calmer with the kind women's presence.

Outside of the room, Hitsugaya waited. His eyes looked as if they were staring into a faraway place. Rukia approached him slowly, as if she were afraid of startling him. He smiled gently at her, reaching his hand forward to grip hers.

"You're not running away, are you?" He teased softly.

Her eyes focused onto his, and she stepped forward. He obliged, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her closer to him. She kissed him softly, yet ravenously, searching for a haven that had denied her for so long.

"No." She whispered into his ear as she snuggled closer into his grip. "Never again."  
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Woot. How does that look? My longest chapter so far, and probably the longest you'll get. Maybe I'll write epilogue if everybody really wants me to, but if not, I'll turn my attention to my other story previously mentioned in another chapter. How cool does that sound.

Please review, even if you didn't like. Actually, that's a lie. How about, even if you didn't like it, leave a nice review, and if you did like it, leave a nicer review. Everybody wins, especially me.

Hope you enjoyed it! 


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